Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli has – perhaps unsurprisingly – named club icon Thierry Henry as his favourite Premier League player of all time. And he also gave a special nod to the legendary Frenchman when discussing his number one goal in the competition’s 30-year history.

Martinelli has lit up the left flank for Arsenal at the start of the 2022-23 season, cementing his status as a regular starter in Mikel Arteta’s flourishing side. The 21-year-old has lined up on the left of the attack, with Bukayo Saka on the right, Martin Odegaard in the middle and Gabriel Jesus at the spearpoint.

He’s contributed to the Gunners’ 100 per cent start to the Premier League campaign, netting in wins against Crystal Palace on the opening night and Leicester City the weekend after. A

head of Saturday’s clash with Fulham, Martinelli was asked for his thoughts on Henry and whether he had met the Highbury hero before.

“I’ve met him before. He’s a nice guy,” Martinelli told Sky Sports. “On the pitch, he was unbelievable, a legend for the club and the Premier League. For me, he’s the best of all time in the Premier League – an unbelievable player.”

The Brazilian starlet also admitted that he takes inspiration from Henry as his game continues to develop in north London. And he named the former number 14’s memorable strike and celebration against Tottenham Hotspur in November 2002 as his favourite in Premier League history.

He added, “Yeah, of course, I think everyone does [try and mould their game around his]. He was an amazing player. Everyone looks up to him. That one against Tottenham, for sure, that’s my favourite [Henry goal]. The one where he does the knee slide.”

Henry produced the wonder solo goal in Arsenal’s 3-0 triumph over Tottenham 20 years ago, with Freddie Ljungberg and Sylvain Wiltord sealing the win at Highbury. His iconic celebration has been etched in the history books since and was used for his statue in the southeast corner of the Emirates.

Martinelli has a tall task on his hands if he’s ever to match Henry’s incredible 228-goal tally while playing for the Gunners. He has registered 20 goals and 13 assists in 87 appearances for the club so far, and his contributions will only continue to spike if Arteta’s men maintain their positive momentum.

• An Express report