Ledley King: Arsenal's Thierry Henry was my toughest opponent

Ledley King and Thierry Henry

Former Tottenham Hotspur captain Ledley King has revealed that Arsenal’s Thierry Henry was the best striker he ever came up against.

King was at Spurs for for his whole career but had to retire in 2012 after a long-standing knee problem that prevented him from training.

He was something of a myth; King could go all week without training but still be the best player on the pitch at the weekend – he was a vital part of Harry Redknapp’s success at the club.

King came up against Henry on plenty of occasions in the north London derby – and often came out losing – but the Frenchman said King was the best central defender he’d come up against.

The former Spurs man returned the favour.

“Yeah, he was – we had a few good battles. You can play well against players of his level, but they only need one moment to punish you,” he said to FourFourTwo.

“He was difficult to play against because he’d drop a bit deeper or drift out to the left – as a centre-back, once a player moves out of your zone you’re almost helpless when it comes to dealing with him.

“I’m not sure I’d say I made it difficult for him [laughs], but I was quick across the ground and pretty strong. I trusted that if I stood up, didn’t dive in, and made him try and beat me that I could either block the shot or nick the ball.”