Henry vs Cantona - who was better

[FujiVice]

Cantona is unlike any other player in the history of the game. Who else could retire at 30, win as much as he did and had the amount of suspensions and arguments with coaches like he did? He should be like Joey Barton, rather than a man who won the league 8 times throughout his career. Henry is like Tiger Woods. Genius, won everything there is to win, played in some incredible teams. But Eric's just Eric isnt he? Ken Loach made a fecking film about the dedication and inspiration fans have for him.

Cantona isnt about top 100 rankings or Balon D'ors. It misses the point completely why he was so good. Cantona for me is the most inspirational player in Premier League history. Not the best, but in terms of inspiration and dragging a team up to a level (twice) it takes some beating. We were sitting in 8th when we signed in in late 1992. Never has a player walked into a side and completed the jigsaw like him.

 

[Bondathon]

Henry probably the better player (although I do think Cantona actually gets underrated as a football player because of his aura, a bit like how Keane gets underrated because people just remember his mentality), Cantona is the “greatest” Premier League player ever though, in terms of impact, legacy etc.

 

[RooneyLegend]

Cantona was and still is an icon, the majority of fans my age site him as the chief reason they first started supporting the club. The absolute aura of the man. He had more swagger than anybody at the time or since, no debate.
He was the final piece in the jigsaw to win the title and he kickstarted a whole new era of dominance.

Henry a better player technically? Yes. But I know who had the bigger impact on their club and this league as a result... theres only one King.

Henry wasnt close to Cantona technically, only Arsenal player in that conversation was Bergkamp.

 

[Gambit]

Cantona. Henry was a better goal scorer. Cantona though changed the entire league.

 

[Champagne Football]

If you were to compare Cantona to someone in the modern game, then you'd probably compare him to Zlatan. Someone who doesn't get crazy goal stats, but still is usually the best player on the pitch who influences everything around him.

If you were to compare Henry to someone in the modern game then you'd probably compare him to Benzema. I think Benzema would score a lot more goals in the Premier league for a club like Liverpool/Man Utd/Chelsea challenging for the title. I don't think Henry had the explosiveness of Mbappe to be compared.

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

Henry by a distance, this isn't brought up anywhere outside of a United forum.

 

[RedRonaldo]

I persoanlly prefer Cantona, he transform our club into truly great club, and no other players have bigger influence and impact to our club since. He is always no.1 in my legendary ranking, and the only King in football. But Henry was just a better player.

 

[LisburnWhite]

Can't believe so many are saying Henry. I must be more United biased than I ever thought. King Eric wins this contest hands down, so much more than a footballer, pure class and absolutely beautiful to watch.

 

[Mrs Smoker]

Henry, that's a lad that cheated against Irish?

 

[Idxomer]

Cantona was more entertaining, Henry the better player.

 

[markhughes]

Henry was a much better player than Cantona as much as it pains me to say. Eric is a legend and I don’t think anyone else could have transformed us the way he did during the 90’s.

Henry was absolutely terrifying to play against, pretty much unstoppable on his day and even though we had some great defenders during his time I always felt that he would hurt us during the game.

Cantona was often quiet in games, popping up with important goals and assists but not as regularly as Henry.

 

[BeltUp]

Henry was better but Eric was more important and iconic.

 

[pascell]

The answer is always Cantona.

 

[King Eric 7]

Ooh Ahh I couldn't possibly answer!

 

[Idxomer]

Cantona won 5 leagues in less than 6 years he spent in England and he was banned for 8 months of them, that's a crazy record.

 

[RedDevilzFox]

Cantona was brilliant for us but outside of United fans no one really cares much for him. Henry was in a league of his own broadly speaking. This is not even a serious question.

 

[ThatsGreat]

Good to see a lot of people going for Henry, on a Utd forum.

 

[Mrs Smoker]

That's forums for you, plenty of people wrong about every other subject.

 

[RUCK4444]

I mean Henry did have a huge huuuuge impact on Arsenal and the league as well. Arsenal fans would argue he was as iconic for them as Cantona was for us.

Yeah but there are icons and there are icons. He beats Henry hands down there.

All Henry inspired was two good seasons from Arsenal.

 

[youngrell]

Both were perfect for their teams and their eras.

You think it’s quite a simple answer, because most would automatically pick Henry as the better player, but what was he actually better at than Eric? Pace? You could possibly say finishing but Eric was a master of that himself.

 

[Robertd0803]

Probably Henry but they would have been a hell of a partnership with Cantona in that Bergkamp role

Somewhere in an alternate universe many a defender is weeping at the thought of facing this.

Look at it this way if Cantona played for Arsenal instead of us and Henry played for us instead of Arsenal, how much different would things have been.

Oh yeah to answer the question Cantona every day of the week.

 

[Walters_19_MuFc]

Both were fantastic players. Cantona with his collar up and Henry with his high sock. Top entertainers - footballers you'd pay to watch.

I think in terms of ability, Henry does it for me, though. He was phenomenal. Arguably, the best the EPL has ever seen.

 

[galwayfa]

Cantona was more important to utd, Henry better player

 

[Karel Podolsky]

Henry. Its actually kind of weird how little Cantona gets brought up in the list of best ever PL players/attackers. He's almost become hugely underrated.

I think he rarely gets brought up in the list is because of his position. What was he? A 9.5?
Someone compared his position with Zidane and at same time with Benzema.

C. Ronaldo is the only non #9 who sometimes gets brought up and that because the crazy number he scored.

 

[fergies coat]

It would of been interesting if Eric didn't retire when he did. He still probably had another 5 years left at the top. That would of took him to around 2002.

Would we of won the champions league in 99? Maybe he would of got the winning goal in that final, and became even more iconic than he is now.

 

[HisNameIsEarl]

Sounds like comparing Chuck Norris to Jean-Claude van Damme in my ears.

 

[Rozay]

Henry was very easily the better player.

 

[Grande]

Sounds like comparing Chuck Norris to Jean-Claude van Damme in my ears.

To me it’s like comparing Pablo Picasso to Sergej Bubka.

 

[always_hoping]

Making this thread as I'm curious to know whether my Arsenal supporting friend is right in saying "Cantona is overhyped. They just blow gas up his ass because he was the "catalyst" for your dominance".

Another example of how dopey some Arsenal supporters are.


As stated above Bergkamp v Cantona a better comparison.

 

[FattyFooty]

Henry was a great goal scorer.

Cantona was that and so much more. If you want to win things you go with Cantona.

To me it's Cantona and it's easy.

 

[WeePat]

Next thread idea.

Who was better Scholes or Shearer.

Edit: Henry is the greatest PL player in my lifetime, though Cantona's peak was a bit before my time.

 

[Sassy Colin]

It's almost like this isn't a United Forum.

Cantona all the way, couldn't give a shit about Henry.

 

[VP89]

Next thread idea.

Who was better Scholes or Shearer.

Edit: Henry is the greatest PL player in my lifetime, though Cantona's peak was a bit before my time.

 

[NasirTimothy]

I wouldn’t necessarily say that Henry was better than Cantona in terms of pure skill: it’s pretty close in that regard, with Eric having the edge I think. What probably makes Henry the better player overall is that he allied good technique with lightning pace (which Eric most certainly didn’t have). That’s what made him so dangerous.

Also most people on here are comparing their premier league impacts, but if you’re going to judge them as players then you have to look at their whole careers. Henry was good in France, great in the PL, great in Spain, good in the CL and good at international level. Had a brief dodgy period in Italy.

Eric had a lot of issues in French club football and moved around a lot (maverick alert!), was great in the PL after finding a true home for the first time at United, struggled in the CL (contextually because English clubs had just come back from the ban and were learning how to play in Europe again) and was good at international level but had his issues with the French set up (maverick alert!) and so never got to play as much as he should have.

 

[Glorio]

I mean Henry did have a huge huuuuge impact on Arsenal and the league as well. Arsenal fans would argue he was as iconic for them as Cantona was for us.

100% agreed. I love Eric, and his impact here was massive, but likewise, without Henry, no way Arsenal was winning any of those league titles (I don't think so anyway). The man was a phenom and for me, should have been world POTY a couple of times.

Eric was a larger than life character but Henry in his own way was a character too. Probably not as big, but a character all the same.

 

[Tarrou]

Henry but I do think Cantona is a little bit underrated these days

He was immense for us

 

[Handré1990]

Henry was the better player.

Cantona was the more impactful player for his respective club.

This, pretty much.

 

[Irwin99]

Different players really , but Henry was the better player. For impact though Cantona was easily the greatest player bought in the Premier League era.

I think Henry won 2 titles and 3 FA cups with Arsenal in 8 years
Cantona won 4 titles and 2 FA cups with United in 5 seasons

 

[padr81]

I think he rarely gets brought up in the list is because of his position. What was he? A 9.5?
Someone compared his position with Zidane and at same time with Benzema.

C. Ronaldo is the only non #9 who sometimes gets brought up and that because the crazy number he scored.

Thats fair, its just sometimes he gets unfairly looked over despite being one of the most important players/signings in PL history.

 

[MVBDX]

It's fair to say that very few non-United supporters would name Cantona as one of the best players in the world, and as we move away from EPL supporters, the number approaches zero.