Chelsea legend John Terry has admitted that he feared playing against a former Arsenal star.
The Gunners and the Blues have always had a fierce rivalry. The two sets of fans don’t really like each other, and there have been some great battles over the years.
Terry led Chelsea on plenty of occasions against Arsenal, and he has now revealed the one player who scared him even before the game began.
John Terry shares why he ‘feared’ Thierry Henry more than Alan Shearer
As much as Arsenal fans would not like to say it, John Terry is one of the greatest defenders in Premier League history.
The Englishman was Chelsea’s leader for years. He captained them to a number of trophies and ended his career with five Premier League titles and a Champions League under his belt.
Terry faced some of the best players football has ever seen during his time as a player.
From Lionel Messi to Cristiano Ronaldo, he has come up against the all-time greats and has had success against them too.
However, when asked who is the toughest player he has ever faced in his career, Terry only had one answer – Thierry Henry.
The legendary Arsenal forward is one of the best players to ever grace the game. He was an absolute nightmare for defenders to play against, and he caused them all sorts of problems back in the day.
After naming Henry as his toughest-ever opponent ahead of Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer, Terry admitted that he feared the Arsenal great.
He told Goal: “I’ve said this quite a lot, Henry was the toughest I’ve faced.
“Alan (Shearer) is here tonight, I caught him at the back end of his career, so I’m sure he would’ve been right up there.
“But for me, it has to be Henry I think for the longevity and what he’d done. He was the one player that I feared going into games.”
READ MORE: Thierry Henry opens up on ‘worst’ Arsenal display ‘in the history of Highbury’
A look at Thierry Henry’s record against Chelsea
Thierry Henry had some great battles against Chelsea.
One of the most memorable ones, even though the game ended in a draw, was when the Frenchman scored a brace after Jose Mourinho accused him of only performing against the small teams.
“Like everyone says, I always score in small games, so I think today must have been a small game again,” Henry famously said after a London derby in 2004.
Overall, Henry played 19 times for Arsenal against Chelsea in all competitions. He won nine, drew six and only lost four times while scoring 10 goals and providing two assists.
Terry isn’t the only one who feared Henry, many others did too. The legendary Frenchman was absolutely unbelievable in his prime.