The Tottenham man Thierry Henry says was the only Premier League defender who could stop him

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Thierry Henry revealed the one Premier League defender in history who could tackle and stop him fairly: none other than a Tottenham Hotspur centre-back.

Thierry Henry is probably the scariest attacker to ever play in the Premier League. The Arsenal forward possessed blistering speed, dynamite finishing, and was an absolute nightmare for defenders.

Many players have stated that Henry is the greatest Premier League player of all time for this reason, with even the most experienced defenders unable to deal with him.

That said, the Frenchman himself revealed the one who could, who is actually quite an unlikely source.

Thierry Henry claims Ledley King was the only man to stop him fairly

Henry has had tough opponents, but in an interview back in 2006, he explained that Ledley King of Tottenham Hotspur was the only defender who could tackle him fairly.

He said: “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.

“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 committing fouls.”

Henry played in an era with the likes of John Terry and Rio Ferdinand, but it was in fact the former Spurs star that he believes is the cream of the crop.

Former Spurs striker Dimitar Berbatov also raved about the quality of the Englishman, further backing up Henry’s statement.

“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.”

Gareth Bale also called King one of the best he’s ever seen – so what happened to him in his career?

What happened to Ledley King?

King made a total of 323 appearances for Tottenham Hotspur during his career from 1999 to 2012 – but it could have been so much more.

King was extremely unlucky in his career, which was plagued by injuries. He ended up retiring at just 31 years old, as a one-club defender academy graduate who gave Tottenham nearly 15 years of service.

“So this is not a time to be disappointed; it is time to cherish and acknowledge a unique time in my life,” Ledley told Hotspur in 2012. “Many players don’t reach the age of 31 before they retire and I’ve seen so many players throughout my own progression not make it to the next stage for so many reasons.

“Overall it’s been great and I wouldn’t change a minute of it – well, not a minute of what happened on the pitch anyway! I’ve had my ups and downs with injuries, but how can I be dissatisfied after making my Spurs debut as a teenager and going on to play for England.”

King will go down as one of the most underrated – and unlucky – defenders to ever grace the Premier League. But with quotes like Henry’s, no one will soon forget the impact he made on the game.