Back in the 2002-03 season, Arsenal's Highbury stood on the cusp of something brilliant. An axis of sporting supremacy had been half-stepped with the league and FA Cup double the year prior, yet unbeknownst to global football fans across – a true seismic shift was near.
It was a shift so large, it would extend the rest of the league out onto a teetering platform whilst the domestically undefeated Gunners perched victoriously with 2004's golden Premier League title.
While 2002-03 may not have seen a league repeat, it still reaped FA Cup and Community Shield success. For an Arsene Wenger team of ever-developing serial champions, it was but a placeholder in the Arsenal storybook. It was perhaps a moment to catch a collective breath before pushing for further glory. An alternative to this metaphor, one particularly breathtaking Thierry Henry was reaching his north London prime.
How good was Thierry Henry?
It feels like a basic question, doesn't it? Especially for football-watching readers. I could bore you about the Frenchman's formative Monaco beginnings. The Juventus falter. The Arsenal redemption. Yet I feel you know most of this. Let's just focus on this Thierry. The early 2000s Thierry with the certain wiry gravity and grace. Devilish finesse. A wry smirk and slide, after doing something so insane in the most nonchalant regard.
He was a mercurial scorer just begging defenders to nibble at the bait so vapour-rubbed enforcers Vieira and Keown could engage. With a mix of brawn and grace, Henry and Co. at this time were the epitome of Wenger's Arsenal.
There's so many quotes to choose from to epitomise Henry at Arsenal. We;ve gone for one from one of his esteemed victims:
“I’ve used this analogy before and I make no apology for using it again. When he hit top gear and ran past you, it was like trying to chase after someone on a motorbike." – Jamie Carragher
Undoubtedly, as we move towards this article's true topic of a missed star, it does feel that Arsene Wenger would've thought up a Thierry alternative if things hadn't worked out.
With hindsight, and knowing the striker's importance – as well as Arsenal's relative European failings, it comes as excruciating reading to learn that Zlatan Ibrahimovic could've once boosted the ranks in the iconic red and white O2-kissed shirt.
How did Arsenal miss out on Zlatan Ibrahimovic?
While Henry was free-scoring, a 21-year-old Zlatan Ibrahimovic was surfing on the mini-tides of his early success. After making visible waves with Malmo and then Ajax, his wake licked cruelly at England's shores.
He was raw and rough around the edges, and knew just what he could do. Seemingly in this case, it was just a matter of whether he could be bothered to truly show it. Everything was on his terms and his terms only, as Wenger once found out several years prior.
As the Telegraph reported, a youthful Zlatan once turned down Arsenal after starring in and then leaving an inconsistent Malmo in 2001. That's right, even at just 17 years old – you don't reject Zlatan, Zlatan rejects you. Effectively, it was a breakdown in communication which lost the Swede's interest. He thought he was getting a big move out of contract. Yet, a precautious Wenger wanted to see a trial. It's not a hard scenario to picture as Ibra later reflected in trademark style:
"Arsène Wenger asked me to have a trial with Arsenal when I was 17. I turned it down. Zlatan doesn't do auditions." – Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Seemingly spurred on by Wenger's interest, Ibra was inspired in the Swedish second division. Ajax's Technical Director Leo Beenhakker showed more faith after additionally watching him in a friendly and the Amsterdam club picked the forward up for around £6m (or 80 million Swedish Kronor).
How did Zlatan compare to Thierry Henry?
Football fans saw Ibrahimovic and Henry somewhat inconsistently paired at Barcelona. However, under Wenger, scenarios would likely have been different. How would he have managed the two? Would it be a case of one starting and one benched? Well, let's compare the two, as well as their all-round stats for a clearer reflection on what could've been, had they been nurtured under Wenger's watchful eye.
Although of course at different stages of respective careers, (and for this narrative's sake) a sophomore Zlatan turned heads with 2002-03's Ajax. In that spell in the Eredivisie, Zlatan scored a total of 48 goals in 110 appearances across all competitions.
In the 2002-03 Eredivisie season alone, the 6 foot 5 Swede notched an attention-grabbing 13 goals in 25 games. This was a total he matched the season after but in three fewer games before achieving his believed worthy destination of Juventus in 2004.
Zlatan's goals directly influenced the silverware haul. In his time at Ajax, he won the league twice (2001-02, 2003-04), picked up one KNVB Beker (2001-02), and also a Johan Cruyff shield (2002). In his brilliant career, Zlatan ultimately turned out for nine teams across Europe, England, and even the USA. The towering striker scored a total of 442 goals in 701 all-time appearances.
Compared to Henry, Zlatan scored more in a longer career. Where Henry was halted by injuries and knowing his limits, Ibrahimovic was determined to break all age stigmas it seemed. Playing in multiple positions across the front three, Henry bagged an impressive 237 goals in 456 games. In terms of titles, the Swede admittedly bagged the titular 32 compared to Henry's 20.
Zlatan may have had more, but arguably Henry is simply the more impressive for what he won and the nature of such. Yet it could work in multiple ways in the varying strands of comparison. Neither won the Champions League. Both won things together at Barcelona although disfunctional.
Zlatan didn't win the Premier League. He also didn't achieve anything with Sweden on the international stage. It seems that although Zlatan won more, it was always a case of him vs the World.
He was very often the player for any given team he was in. That's likely why he moved around so frequently. Henry on the other hand, more so understood the values of an effective team dynamic – himself heartbreakingly humbled by missing out on the 1998 World Cup Final as his teammates won on home soil.