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Oct 16, 2026, 10:30 PM GMT+1
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From the 2003/04 Arsenal Invincibles to Barcelona’s treble-winning squad in 2008/09, football legend Thierry Henry has shared the pitch with some truly outstanding players and encountered plenty of intelligent footballers throughout his illustrious career.
Lionel Messi, Dennis Bergkamp, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldinho, Andres Iniesta and Xavi are just some of the teammates the Arsenal icon was fortunate enough to share a dressing room with while collecting major honours, including the World Cup, Champions League and two Premier League titles.
Yet, when asked to identify the most intelligent player he has ever witnessed, Henry made an unexpected selection and overlooked all of his former teammates. Instead, he chose a player he coached following his retirement from professional football in 2015, working alongside him for several years during his spell as assistant manager of the Belgium national team.
Speaking back in 2023, Henry singled out Manchester City icon Kevin De Bruyne as the smartest player he has ever seen. Having worked with the fellow Premier League winner over several years with Belgium, he said:
“I’ve come across a lot of players, played with a lot of players, saw a lot of players, played against some of the greatest.
“I think Kevin, his brain is the best I’ve ever seen, the way he sees the game.
“Because his brain is in some places, I don’t know what he thinks about sometimes, you look at him and it’s almost like he’s not with us because he’s that good.
“Some time it can be a problem because you’re not on his level, but I think he’s the most clever player I’ve seen in my life. It’s just second to none, the way he thinks.
“Because I saw him for six years on and off with Belgium, you love the man a bit more, because I saw stuff he did in training and in games. He’s unbelievable.
“His brain, I’m still thinking about some stuff I’ve seen, he’s on a different planet.”
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The Belgian midfielder is widely considered one of the finest midfielders of his generation and played a pivotal role in Man City’s success under Pep Guardiola, helping the club secure four successive Premier League crowns, several domestic cups and the Champions League in 2022/23.
He has also collected multiple PFA Player of the Year awards and shared the record for the most assists in a Premier League campaign (20) with Henry until it was beaten by Bruno Fernandes in 2026. Despite that, he never won a Premier League Player of the Month award during his spell at the Etihad Stadium.
On the international stage, De Bruyne has not yet lifted a major trophy with Belgium, while his third-place finish at the 2018 World Cup remains his standout achievement.
Henry and De Bruyne spent several summers together with Belgium, with the former Arsenal striker serving as Roberto Martinez’s assistant at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Belgium suffered a disappointing tournament in 2022, exiting at the group stage after scoring only once. De Bruyne also ended a major international tournament without a goal or assist for the first time in his career.
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