Rio Ferdinand says Thierry Henry 'kept him up at night', picks Cristiano Ronaldo in all-time Premier League front three
Published 26/03/2025 at 17:00 GMT
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Rio Ferdinand has gone toe-to-toe with some of the best forwards in the history of the Premier League. Now, the former Manchester United star and his fellow TNT Sports experts Ally McCoist, Peter Crouch, Martin Keown and Lucy Ward have picked their all-time Premier League front three. Ferdinand also selected Cristiano Ronaldo but admitted Thierry Henry was the player who kept him up at night.
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TNT Sports expert Rio Ferdinand has revealed his all-time greatest Premier League front three, and he insists Arsenal legend Thierry Henry was the only forward who kept him up at night.
The former Manchester United defender put his 2008 UEFA Champions League-winning team-mates Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo at striker and right wing, respectively.
However, much like his fellow TNT Sports pundits Ally McCoist, Peter Crouch, Martin Keown and Lucy Ward, he opted to go with Gunners icon Henry on the left.
Ferdinand admitted that Henry was the only attacker who ever gave him sleepless nights during his illustrious career as a player.
"I'm going to go with Rooney up front as my No. 9," he said on TNT Sports' Premier League Breakdown.
"I saw centre-backs twice the size of him shaking in their boots in the tunnel, forget being on the pitch. Scored a ridiculous amount of goals, club top goalscorer.
"On the left wing, none of us has said that Thierry Henry isn't in their team, I think that says everything there is to say about him.
"He is the one player in my career who, the night before, probably kept you up a bit.
"And Cristiano, I don't know if we have seen a better four-year stint than his.
"He arrived as an entertainer, made people pay to watch him every single week, produced ridiculous moments, embarrassed defenders and then left as a Ballon d'Or winner."
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Despite inspiring The Red Devils to a UEFA Champions League crown and winning the Ballon d'Or during his time at Old Trafford, Ronaldo was a somewhat controversial pick.
The Portuguese superstar only spent six years at the club during his initial spell in England and Crouch argued that was not long enough to force his way into an all-time Premier League front three.
"The only reason he is not [in the team] is because it is in the Premier League," Crouch added.
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"How long was he here? Has he got 100 Premier League goals? I am talking about in the Premier League - if you are talking about players [in their entire career], he is in there 100%."
Ronaldo scored 103 Premier League goals in total, with 19 of those coming in his second spell at the club.
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