Harry Kane vs Thierry Henry: Who has had the greatest impact on the Premier League?
- Andy Schooler
- 7 March 2022
Harry Kane overtook Thierry Henry in the Premier League's all-time goalscorer list following his brace on Monday night – Andy Schooler takes a statistical look at how the two players compare.
Harry Kane deservedly picked up the man-of-the-match award on Monday night as Tottenham thrashed Everton 5-0 in London.
The England international scored two goals which not only helped Spurs to victory, but they also helped Kane up to sixth in the Premier League's all-time goalscorer list - overtaking Arsenal legend Thierry Henry in the process.
Question is, who reached the 175 goal mark first, and which star has won the most individual honours? Let's take a closer look…
Goal achievements
Thierry Henry
Goals - 175
Appearances - 258
Golden Boots - 4
Best season - 30 goals (2003/04)
20-goal seasons - 5
25-goal seasons - 3
30-goal seasons - 1
Harry Kane
Goals - 176
Appearances - 270
Golden Boots - 3
Best season - 30 goals (2017/18)
20-goal seasons - 5
25-goal seasons - 3
30-goal seasons - 1
In terms of how fast they reached the 175 mark, Henry has the edge, although only slightly.
The former Arsenal man hit his goals in 258 appearances; Kane's 175th, and then 176th, goal came in his 270th Premier League game.
One factor Kane fans would point out is that 18 of his appearances came as a substitute, whereas only five of Henry's did.
Still, even when that is taken into account, Henry has a better minutes-per-goal ratio.
On other metrics, the duo's goalscoring achievements are remarkably similar.
Both have a best single-season tally of 30 goals.
The pair both have five 20-goal seasons on their CV, plus three 25-goal campaigns.
Three Premier League goals in a row for Harry Kane. 🔥 🔥 🔥 pic.twitter.com/WovbHlEYGJ
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) December 29, 2021
All-time Premier League top scorers
Alan Shearer 260
Wayne Rooney 208
Andy Cole 187
Sergio Aguero 184
Frank Lampard 177
Harry Kane 176
Thierry Henry 175
Robbie Fowler 163
Jermain Defoe 162
Michael Owen 150
Henry edges Kane when it comes to Golden Boot wins though - he has a Premier League-record four, having won the award in four seasons out of five between 2001/02 and 2005/06. The man to deny him a clean sweep was Ruud van Nistelrooy in 2002/03 when the Manchester United striker netted 25 to Henry's 24.
Kane has three Golden Boots, although he was somewhat unfortunate not to win another in 2017/18, his 30-goal season, when Mo Salah bagged 32.
Honours
While trophies won is not the best mark for judging individual success and, in particular, goalscoring prowess, it is certainly relevant to the conversation.
Henry's goals helped Arsenal win two Premier League titles, while the Gunners also won three FA Cups during his time at the club.
He will forever be remembered as part of the famous Invincibles team of 2003/04 which went through the entire Premier League season unbeaten.
Yet these achievements can also be used to place Kane's goalscoring ability in an even better light.
Henry had world-class players around him during Arsenal's golden era under Arsene Wenger with his supply lines including Premier League greats such as Robert Pires and Patrick Vieira. It was one of the Premier League's all-time great teams.
Kane and Spurs have famously failed to win a trophy and it hard to argue that the players around Kane have been anything like the quality of those Henry played alongside. It would be harsh to suggest Kane has played in a bang-average side but it can't hold a light to the Arsenal of the early noughties.
What is more relevant to any 'who's the greatest?' debate is Player of the Year awards.
Henry twice won the PFA Player of the Year gong, while he was voted FWA Footballer of the Year on three occasions. The latter remains a record.
Kane is yet to win either prize.
Assists
Again, a comparison here does not prove individual goalscoring ability but what it does help do is show who was the better player.
Much has been made of Kane's recent transformation into a supplier of goals, as well as a scorer of them.
Yet he still only has 37 Premier League assists - exactly half the number Henry managed (in fewer games, remember).
For those who watched Henry 20 years ago, that probably won't come as a surprise - he was never an out-and-out striker as Kane has been for much of his career.
Indeed few, in any, have been able to match Henry in terms of all-round forward play during the PL era.
International records of Kane and Henry
Clearly not relevant in any debate about who made the greater impact on the Premier League but crucial to those arguing about who is the greatest goalscorer.
In short, Kane wins here.
He's got 48 goals in 67 international appearances, which produces a goals-per-game figure of 0.72. Still only 28, he looks set to demolish Wayne Rooney's current England record of 53 goals.
Henry, who remains France's all-time leading scorer, netted his 51 international goals in 123 games - that's 0.41 goals per game, well short of Kane's figure.
For those already thinking that Kane has been a flat-track bully, scoring most of his goals in qualifying events, it's worth a closer look.
Henry scored 12 tournament goals, a feat achieved across four World Cups and three European Championships. His biggest tally at a single tournament was only three.
Kane has played in only three tournaments, netting 10 times. Six of those came at the 2018 World Cup when the England star won the Golden Boot.
Of course, when it comes to medals on the table, Henry is again back in front - he was part of the France squad which won the 1998 World Cup and played a bigger role in the Euro 2000 triumph - but Kane's individual award is one Henry cannot match.
