Arsenal legend Thierry Henry insists he was not 'obsessed' with winning the golden boot - after Rio Ferdinand claimed Manchester United rival Ruud van Nistelrooy was.
Henry and Van Nistelrooy did battle to be the Premier League's top scorer for five successive seasons following the Dutchman's arrival at Old Trafford from PSV Eindhoven in 2001.
The Frenchman took the award in Van Nistelrooy's first season in England before the Red Devils hotshot hit back - but Henry would go on to claim the next three.
Ferdinand revealed Van Nistelrooy's mood would sour if he didn't find the net and learned after games that Henry had, such was his determination to top the scoring charts.
But Henry insists his number of assists and general unselfishness in front of goal showed that was not the case for him.
Speaking on an Instagram Live session with Puma, he said: "It became a story between me and him because it was always him or me [to win the golden boot] but I don’t know if you remember I used to give penalties away…I used to give penalties away!"
"When Edu played his last game for Arsenal and I was battling with Ruud van Nistelrooy for the Golden Boot I gave him the penalty.
"It’s because you ask me the question don’t get me wrong…but if you look at the number of my assists I gave in the game and sometimes I was in front of the goal and I squared it that would answer that question [whether he was as obsessed].
"I would not have all those assists if I was only just thinking about the Golden Boot."
