Ray Parlour picks between Henry and Bergkamp as best ever Arsenal teammate

Ray Parlour has chosen Dennis Bergkamp above the likes of Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Tony Adams as the best player he ever played alongside at Arsenal.

The former England midfielder spent 12 years at the north London club, winning three Premier League titles and four FA Cups in that time.

Parlour was surrounded by some of the greatest players to have graced the English game, including feared forwards Henry and Bergkamp who formed the front two of Arsene Wenger’s Invincibles in 2003-04.

French World Cup winner Henry has scored the sixth-most goals in Premier League history, while Bergkamp was famed for his velvet touch and immaculate technique.

And when asked who came out on top out of all of his Gunners teammates, Parlour told Sky Sports’ The Football Show: ‘The best player, it’s got to go down to two players, it’s either Henry or Dennis Bergkamp.

‘Henry was amazing, what he achieved at Arsenal. When he first turned up we thought he couldn’t hit a barn door, seven games, scoring no goals, we said we can’t win the league with Thierry. We’d just lost Nicolas Anelka who was a brilliant player.

‘But I’d have to pick Dennis [over Henry] slightly, because he changed the attitude a lot with the British players as well. 

‘He first come in in 1996, his training methods, the professionalism of him was first class, he used to stay behind in training, practice on his own. 

‘We were all looking at him like wait a minute, shouldn’t we be doing a bit more practicing. I think he influenced a lot, but what a special player as well. 

‘Dennis was the one who would always be at the right place at the right time, if you were playing with him as well and he always read your mind. 

‘If I was in a situation where I’ve only got one pass, Dennis would read that and he’d be tucking off of the centre-half and there he was picking the ball up in a dangerous area.

‘So I think Dennis was a cut above everyone at that time, but Thierry would go very, very close to being the best as well.’

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