Henry: I couldn't beat Carra at his best
"I would not say I have a toughest opponent, but there is a selection of three - maybe four - that when I think about them, I think only of the toughest games. Jamie Carragher was in that group."
So reveals Thierry Henry in an exclusive interview with Liverpool FC Magazine, in which he pays tribute to the Reds' No.23 ahead of his retirement at the end of the season.
The flying Frenchman enjoyed plenty of tussles with the LFC vice-captain during his successful Arsenal career.
He explains: "I was lucky because I was physically very quick. Everybody could see that. It was obvious. So straightaway people could say: 'Thierry Henry - he's quick.'
"It is not so easy to see inside a player's mind. Jamie's mind was very, very quick. In some ways that is an unfortunate quality to have because it is not an obvious quality. It takes a while for people to see it. But when you are there on the pitch competing against someone with a quick mind, you know about it.
"Defenders don't always get the recognition they deserve for keeping a clean sheet... The way I saw it, especially with Jamie, is that when I was at my best and he was at his best, neither player would win and it would be up to someone else to either win or lose the match."
The full interview appears in the new issue of the magazine which is crammed with great content.
Philippe Coutinho has made an instant impression at Anfield following his January switch from Inter Milan. The Brazilian is our cover star and talks exclusively about his ambition to succeed in English football and keep Kopites excited.
There are also interviews with Jordan Henderson, Lucas and Jimmy Melia, columns from Didi Hamann, David Price and Neil Mellor and a sighting of Ian Rush in an Everton shirt!
All this and much, much more is packed into the 116 pages of British football's biggest monthly club magazine which is on sale now.
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