Arsenal legend Thierry Henry. AFP Photo

Paul Kennedy

I always loved watching Thierry Henry play back in the day. He was a real class act.

Both on and off the pitch, he oozed cool. If you don’t believe me, Google the advert he starred in for Renault back in 2004. Va va voom!

Even today, I like listening to his punditry and feel he talks a lot of sense.

But it was on the pitch, particularly during the eight years or so at Arsenal, that he really stood head and shoulders above the rest.

During that time he scored 175 goals in 254 Premier League appearances. In all competitions he netted 228 times and remains Arsenal’s all-time top goal scorer.

He won two Premier League titles and three FA Cups. Internationally he wasn’t too bad either, scoring 51 times in 123 appearances for France, lifting the World Cup and European Championship.

His achievements wearing the red of Arsenal have led many to declare Henry the greatest ever foreigner to play in the Premier League, and I agree, for now anyway.

Liverpool’s Mohammed Salah, in my opinion, is just about neck and neck with the Frenchman, and I feel it’s only a matter of time before the Egyptian overtakes Henry as the Premier League’s number one import.

In the early hours of Wednesday morning, Salah lined up for Liverpool against their Merseyside rivals Everton, and it’s fair to say, didn’t have that good a game.

But he still provided an assist for Liverpool’s first goal and scored their second, which would have been a winner if it wasn’t for some dubious refereeing calls at the very end of the match.

In the Premier League, Salah now has 22 goals and 14 assists. Henry’s best ever return was in the 2002/03 campaign when he scored 24 goals and provided 20 assists.

With 14 games to go in the Premier League, it would take a brave man to bet against Salah topping Henry’s record.

He’s already scored more goals than Henry overall, 238 to be exact, and if he does decide to extend his contract for a few more years, chances are he’ll edge past Roger Hunt to become Liverpool’s all-time second top scorer ever.

So sorry Thierry, but I think the Egyptian King is about to take your crown as the greatest ever foreigner to grace the Premier League.

It had to happen one day, but don’t worry too much, you still have plenty of va va voom! VNS