Striker Thierry Henry capped a perfect day for champions Arsenal when he was named the English Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) Player of the Year for the second consecutive season on Sunday.
Arsenal clinched their 13th English championship -- Henry's second since joining the London club in 1999 -- when they drew 2-2 at Tottenham Hotspur after second-placed Chelsea lost 2-1 at Newcastle United.
Henry did not score on this occasion but the 26-year-old is sure to finish the season as the league's top scorer with 29 goals so far, out of a total of 37 in all competitions.
PHOTO: EPA
His prowess in front of the net has also set him on course to win Europe's Golden Shoe award.
Seven of his goals came during two scintillating performances earlier this month, when he scored a hat-trick against Liverpool and then four against Leeds United.
Just days before, Arsenal's treble dream had been shattered following defeats by Manchester United and Chelsea that knocked them out of the FA Cup and Champions League respectively. But Henry's efforts put his team's title hopes firmly back on track.
Manager Arsene Wenger bought the pacey Henry five years ago for US$$18.6 million after an unhappy spell in Italy and transformed him from a bit player on Juventus's left wing to a central striker who sends fear through his opponents.
He has still got just as much pace, but Wenger has developed Henry's superb dribbling skills and encouraged him to both run at defenders and to shoot on sight.
He reached his century of league goals in early February and has scored 150 in 251 games in all competitions since 1999. He is now third in the club's all-time goalscoring records behind Ian Wright and Cliff Bastin.
What sets Henry apart from other top strikers such as Manchester United's Ruud Van Nistelrooy or Inter Milan's Christian Vieri is that the Frenchman makes almost as many goals as he scores.
Vieri discovered this at first hand when Henry created two and scored two more in Arsenal's 5-1 Champions League rout of Inter at the San Siro last November.
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