Former Arsenal defender Lauren has revealed it wasn't Thierry Henry's athleticism or talent that saw him become the club's all-time top scorer, but his determination to be the best.
After signing for Arsenal in 1999, Henry went on to dominate the club's scoring records, with 228 goals in 375 appearances over two spells for the Gunners placing him at the top of the list.
Henry is not only Arsenal's all-time top scorer; he is also their Premier League, Champions League and overall European top scorer.
Lauren - who made 242 appearances for the club across a seven-year stay - won two Premier League titles for Arsenal and puts much of his side's success to the squad's competitiveness - particularly that of Henry.
Speaking to the Guardian, Lauren stated it was Henry's elite mentality that separated him, recalling the intense altercations that would occur behind the scenes.
“Why did Thierry Henry become Arsenal’s all-time top scorer?" Lauren Asked. "Talent? Because he was really good and a great athlete? No. Because he wanted to be the best every single day of his life.
"He never ducked a game, never said: ‘I’ve got a knock.’ The session finished and he’d stay to take shots, practise diagonal runs.
"On the bus, Henry, me, Edu and [Patrick] Vieira played cards and Henry got angry if he lost. You can laugh but it was like that. If you didn’t give him the ball, if he didn’t score, he would get mad. It was horrific.
“I’ve had confrontations with Henry and Vieira, Vieira with Martin Keown, Keown with Henry, Henry with Ljungberg, everyone. There was one at Riazor against Deportivo when Henry stopped and raised his arms at me. Bloody hell!
"You should have seen our training sessions. It’s a good job journalists weren’t there; it would have been horrible."
