Speaking ahead of Arsenal‘s Champions League meeting with Barcelona on Tuesday, Thierry Henry has made an intriguing revelation about Lionel Messi.
“He’s so good,” the Arsenal great began, as reported by The Sun, “that sometimes you forget he’s human, he’s a freak of nature.”
The France international continued, aiming a tacit dig at Chelsea, and revealing when it was he first began considering Messi through different eyes.
“I realised how special he was when he faced Chelsea in the Champions League and they never stopped kicking him,” Henry continued, “but Messi got up every time and just carried on running.”
It remains to be seen how the Gunners will be able to contend with the Argentine superstar, who has scored 15 goals in 20 La Liga outings so far this season, contributing seven assists.
He hasn’t featured as consistently in the Champions League, due to injury, but has still managed three goals in three outings, with one assist, in the European Cup so far this term.
The 28-year-old also has considerable experience in the UCL, having won the competition four times since first lifting the title in 2006.
One thing perhaps standing in Arsenal’s favour this season—even if they didn’t necessarily show it in the Champions League group stage—is that the Gunners’ defence has been much improved since Petr Cech replaced Wojciech Szczesny during the summer.
The Czech legend has impressed between the sticks, adding poise to the backline as well as making numerous key saves, and has helped the Gunners to preserve the second best defensive record in the Premier League, behind only rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
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