Thierry Henry believes only one defender in Premier League history was good enough to tackle him without committing a foul

Thierry Henry believes only one Premier League defender was good enough to tackle him without committing a foul.

Henry is widely regarded as the greatest forward in Premier League history following his ultra-prolific spell at Arsenal.

He scored an impressive 175 Premier League goals during his legendary career.

Henry duelled with some of the best defenders of his generation, including Manchester United great Rio Ferdinand and Chelsea icon John Terry.

But the Frenchman failed to name either Ferdinand or Terry when naming the only defender who could get the better of him without fouling.

He opted for Tottenham legend Ledley King, hailing his ability to defend without committing a foul.

In an interview back in 2006, Henry explained: "I don't like defenders who hold the shirts of other players. The only defender here who doesn't do that and sometimes still gets the ball off my feet easily is Ledley King.

Thierry Henry and Ledley King during a Premier League game. Image: Getty

"He is the only guy who doesn't hold players. He will get the ball off you without you even noticing. For me, that is a good defender.

"He plays without any contact yet is somehow still strong and gets the ball without doing any fouls."

King played his entire career at Spurs, but he was hampered by a series of injuries, having been plagued by chronic knee problems.

But he clearly left an impression on Henry, who hailed the defender's ability to defend properly.

Ex-Spurs forward Dimitar Berbatov agreed with Henry's claim about King, who made 323 appearances for the Premier League side.

Berbatov, who played with King, said: "For me he was up there with [Nemanja] Vidic and Rio [Ferdinand].

"He was so intelligent and read the game so well. He was always intercepting balls purely because he knew where the striker would be."

King, who earned 21 England caps, called time on his career in 2012 as a result of the chronic knee injuries that plagued much of his career.