Henry, the best player to ever play in the premier league for me.
Henry vs Cantona - who was better
- Thread starter VP89
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Arsenal fans will never feel about Cantona the way I feel about him. We will never feel about Henry the way they feel about him.
I can't look at this dispassionately. I can't even begin to do that. Say Cantona and I just think about chips at Selhurst Park and Brammall Lane, collar turned up, kung fu kick. Too many great memories. I'm not even interested in evaluating Cantona against any other player, including Rooney and Ronaldo.
I can't look at this dispassionately. I can't even begin to do that. Say Cantona and I just think about chips at Selhurst Park and Brammall Lane, collar turned up, kung fu kick. Too many great memories. I'm not even interested in evaluating Cantona against any other player, including Rooney and Ronaldo.
You’re massively underestimating Henry’s technical ability. Everyone will have different assessments of different players, but anyone who says that Henry was nowhere close to Cantona technically is miles off in their assessment.
Indeed. Not to dis Cantona at all but there's not a player in history that Henry was "nowhere close to" regarding technical ability.
The guy was absolutely ridiculous. He'd probably get more respect as a player if he hadn't also been lightning fast.
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As great as "the King" was, he didn't play enough games for us to be compared to Henry. Most "all time best XI's" will include Henry, not Cantona. Just don't tell any gooners that I said that...
You should read The Rebel who would be King. Got loads of info on his time in France and his various spats with national team members. Plus is a generally interesting book on his life.
That is just nonsense. Cantona was truly a special player, cool as feck with unmatched charisma to go with his playing ability. You will get a nod in that sense from every football fan who got the chance to see his career and not just United supporters.
Henry was a better player, yes, but in general many football fans have more admiration towards Cantona because of his personality and impact that he had on the game.
Agree with this. What made Henry so hard to defend against was his immaculate technique at the searing pace he could play at.
Cantona. The guy won 2 very different teams the league title. Literally the deciding factor in every EPL title that his tram's won every season he was available to complete the whole season.
Most people will lean to Henry because of his superior work rate and statistics. Technically there is nothing between them. But to me Cantona's influence over title winning is unmatched. So unmatched only Ngolo Kante recently became only the second player to directly cause two totally different teams to lift consecutive epl titles.
Most people will lean to Henry because of his superior work rate and statistics. Technically there is nothing between them. But to me Cantona's influence over title winning is unmatched. So unmatched only Ngolo Kante recently became only the second player to directly cause two totally different teams to lift consecutive epl titles.
There's a lot of fair feedback on my OP that these are two very different players, but both were ultimately forwards seen as pioneers of their clubs, elevating the rest of the squad and winning titles.
I that's enough to compare one against the other to see who goes down as the bigger great. For example Henry is spoken about as arguably the greatest Premier League player ever, and I wanted to know where Cantona fares and why he'd be not mentioned in the same breath.
I that's enough to compare one against the other to see who goes down as the bigger great. For example Henry is spoken about as arguably the greatest Premier League player ever, and I wanted to know where Cantona fares and why he'd be not mentioned in the same breath.
Cantona and I don't care about others
Because he wasn't as good. Henry was a top 50 player all time. Cantona, while great, was not quite that good, except in the Premier League at a time when the PL was comparably relatively weaker than the Serie A of today...
He wasn't, just wasn't that type of player.
Oh there are loads and without pace Henry wouldn't have been anything close to what it he was.
I'd say more his imagination and searing pace.
You lot need to stop acting like he was a player with a feather touch and loads of ability with the ball at his feet. He was never elite in that regard. He was an amazing player but that was for other reasons.
My point is Cantona technically belongs in the same category as Bergkamp, Di Canio, Zola, Le Tiss, David Silva, B.Silva, Djorkaef, Jay Jay, Payet etc you know, guys who were amazing with the ball at the feet. Henry just doesn't belong there.
Cantona and Payet in the same category ?!
Thanks for the suggestion
Henry was better for me. Henry and C Ronaldo are the two greatest PL players. Feel free to argue which is #1 and #2
I can remember the day we signed him... it was announced on local radio - yes, no internet in those days. Came as a complete shock to everyone, I always liked him but no one could've predicted how his time here was going to turn out. I recall listening to Jimmy Wag's phone in on GMR and there were plenty of jilted Leeds United fans calling in. I was just watching a YT clip of the day he signed and one fan commented 'They won't be singing Ooh Aah Cantona here at Old Trafford'. You've got to love that man's crystal ball.
He didn't perform poorly for France.
You my sons and daughters are very young if you can't remember the greatness of Cantona.
Even when he kicked a supporter, he had way more class than Henry's awful handball. 
Even when he kicked a supporter, he had way more class than Henry's awful handball.
He played during the foreigner rule.
Henry is arguably the better player but who cares, Cantona gets my vote every time.
I've been to a number of Arsenal games post Henry leaving and can't say i recall a song for him.
And arsenal fans are big on their history songs still singing about the league unbeaten year, vieira and winning the league in Manchester.
Cantona is still sung about regularly at OT almost a quarter of a century on.
Different levels of icon.
Totally different strikers though. A much better comparison would be with Bergkamp.
And arsenal fans are big on their history songs still singing about the league unbeaten year, vieira and winning the league in Manchester.
Cantona is still sung about regularly at OT almost a quarter of a century on.
Different levels of icon.
Totally different strikers though. A much better comparison would be with Bergkamp.
Nothing to be sorry about. Henry hands down. But contona was the catalyst that made United, well United.
It's like opening a tin of Quality Street and comparing the purple one (Cantona), the one with a hazelnut in the centre surrounded by soft gooey caramel, and that sorry yellow disk thing (Henry), which is nothing more than a lump of a hard toffee designed to break your teeth.
Not a fair comparison by any standards.
Not a fair comparison by any standards.
You think Di Canio, Bernardo Silva and Payet were more technically gifted than Henry?
Feels like you’re really underrating him here, Henry’s touch dribbling and passing, combined with unreal vision made him one of the most technically gifted players of his generation. His collection of goals alone was a testament to this, let alone his assists.
Yep, Henry was technically superb.
Between signing henry age 24 and Cantona age 24 for 7 years at the club, i choose Henry.
I suppose this is a Man Utd forum. Respectfully, this thread wouldn't exist on any other.
It's not even a conversation.
Henry was more consistent
Cantona was more influential
Ability wise - par esque
Cantona was more influential
Ability wise - par esque
Henry, and it's a no contest for me. Henry is the 2nd best attacker the league saw behind Ronaldo.
But he played for Man Utd though (I know he helped start the process with respect to the PL titles but you'd have done it anyway).
I remember people laughing at school that man utd had signed eric, how wrong they were. Henry was a better player but Eric had the attitude to win at the time.
Henry was great in premier league. He was kinda disappointing in all the other things he did even if it was football or handball he played. To me atleast. Maybe i expected to much.
Cantona on the other hand, he was a King.
Cantona will always be legendary to me. He was missing piece in a puzzle. After 15 years watching Utd and then until the day he retired , I was always excited to watch him play. Henry was different. Silky smooth and got into goal scoring positions based more on pace.
He didn''t just help start the process, he was the deciding factor.
Perhaps you didn't live through that era, hence its impossible for you to understand how influential he was. He has the kind of leadership, charisma, influence and vision no one else ever come close to, the class of 92 all look up on him, so he did lay the foundation of our success for decades to come.
In my very honest opinion, he was the only player worth the title of "King"
After thinking about it, I would say that they were on par talent wise. The difference career wise is that while they are both known for their difficult temper, Henry found his manager early in his career at Monaco in Wenger and was allowed to join him again later. Wenger was the perfect fit for Henry someone that was a control freak who also happens to be able to give room to certain players while keeping control. On the other hand Cantona fought with almost everyone not named Sir Alex Ferguson or Houllier which cost him a lot of early individual success and accolade, he was great for all the teams he played for and rated by all his teammates but always managed to have a fall out with someone.
Cantona literally did nothing outside the Premier league. Never did it in Europe or at international level.
Henry wasn't as impressive there as in the Premiership, but at least he has a decent body of work there.
RedCafe really is superior to any other football forum in the world. Wide web.
Henry was the better player but Cantona is the king, so he wins it easily.