Thierry Henry reveals the only England defender who could stop him fairly
Few forwards defined English football quite like Henry. During two unforgettable spells at Arsenal, the Frenchman scored 175 Premier League goals and became the face of Arsène Wenger’s golden era. His blend of grace, pace, and ruthless finishing placed him alongside Cristiano Ronaldo as one of the greatest to grace the league.
Over those years, Henry faced some of the toughest defenders in the game — from Manchester United’s Rio Ferdinand to Chelsea’s John Terry. Yet in his eyes, one opponent stood out for an unusual reason: he could win the ball cleanly, without a hint of foul play.
The defender who stood out
In an interview reported back in 2006, Henry explained that one man seemed to defend differently from everyone else.
“I don’t like defenders who hold the shirts of other players,” he said. “The only defender here who doesn’t do that and sometimes still gets the ball off my feet easily is Ledley King.”
He went on: “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.”
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That’s high praise from a striker who embarrassed world-class defenders for fun. And the fact that it came from an Arsenal icon about a Tottenham player made it all the more remarkable — especially given the fierce North London rivalry that divided the two clubs.
King’s quiet brilliance
Ledley King spent his entire professional career with Tottenham Hotspur, making just over 300 appearances despite battling chronic knee problems. Calm, intelligent, and impossibly composed, he often made defending look effortless.
Former Spurs striker Dimitar Berbatov once said much the same.
“For me, he was up there with [Nemanja] Vidic and Rio [Ferdinand],” Berbatov recalled. “He was so intelligent and read the game so well. He was always intercepting balls purely because he knew where the striker would be.”
That awareness, Berbatov said, was what made King special — not aggression or brute strength, but anticipation. Watching him defend was like watching someone play chess at full speed.
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Battling through injury
Speaking on the Seaman Says podcast in 2024, King opened up about how persistent knee problems derailed his England ambitions.
“I still feel like there should have been more [England caps], really,” he admitted. “During that time, I kind of went through a period where I was really struggling with my knee, so for about three years, I kind of wrote off playing for England.”
He added that while England managers often called him into training camps, he “didn’t feel confident enough” in his body to take part. Eventually, he made a brief return for the 2010 World Cup — an impressive comeback for a man who, by his own account, had gone “four years without training.”
It was a bittersweet chapter for a player whose ability was unquestioned but whose body refused to cooperate.
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What might have been
In a different world, Ledley King might have captained England and gone down as one of the nation’s greatest defenders. Instead, he’s remembered as a player who did the hardest thing in football — make defending look pure, clean, and beautiful.
And for Henry, one of the most gifted attackers the game has ever seen, that meant everything.
“Some defenders kick you or pull you,” he once said. “Ledley didn’t need to.”
That’s not just a compliment. Coming from Thierry Henry, it’s a legacy.
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Sources: Daily Star, Seaman Says podcast, 2006 interview archives
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