Thierry Henry snubbed Lionel Messi and Zinedine Zidane when naming best player he played with

Thierry Henry picked the best player he has played alongside - and it wasn’t Lionel Messi or Zinedine Zidane.

Henry has shared the dressing room with some of football’s most iconic figures, having represented Juventus, Arsenal and Barcelona and starred for France alongside a golden generation of French footballers.

In that time, he has played alongside the likes of Andres Iniesta, Xavi, Ronaldinho, Patrick Vieira, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Samuel Eto’o, as well as eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi and France icon Zidane.

But when asked to select the best player he had played alongside, Henry opted for Dennis Bergkamp, who won two Premier League titles and three FA Cups while playing with his French strike-partner.

“Because of longevity, and because I saw him every day in training for seven years, Dennis Bergkamp,” Henry said in a 2015 Facebook Q & A .

“Why? Because he was always doing what the game was asking him to do.

“I admired how Dennis was always trying to respect the game. He could score but he could also pass and wait for the right moment…he was always trying to respect the game when he could do other stuff. I respected him a lot for that but also the way he trained.

Henry and Bergkamp completed an unbeaten season together at Arsenal (Getty)

“The way he used to train was just not normal. The guy didn’t want to lose the ball; he would foul you; get in your face; he wants to be first in the run.”

Of course, Henry also namechecked Messi and Zidane, placing them both in their own special category.

Henry continued: “But then I have to mention the freaks. Leo is a freak. I think you guys [fans] do not understand what the guy is doing.

“Him, Zizou, all these guys, you cannot do what they do, because it’s not humanly possible.”