Gyokeres: “no Intention” to be compared with Henry after taking No.14 at Arsenal

Viktor Gyokeres, Arsenal's new striker, has explained his decision to choose the number 14, a historic number at the club because it belonged to Thierry Henry.

The Swede acknowledged that he is fully aware of the legacy left by Henry, Arsenal's top scorer with 228 goals in 377 games. "Of course I know about the history," assured Gyokeres.

The striker revealed that the choice was simple given that there were not many numbers available in the squad. "To be honest there weren't so many numbers available. There weren't too many to pick from. But of course, that one was available. So when I knew that it was an easy choice to take it."

Henry won two Premier League titles with the Gunners, three FA Cups and four Golden Boots as top scorer in the English league. Despite the symbolic weight of the number 14, Gyokeres made it clear that he does not want his performance to be measured under the shadow of the Frenchman.

"I don't know. It's not really my intention to be compared with what he's achieved in his career," said Gyokeres. The Swedish international underlined his desire to build his own path in London and focus solely on proving his qualities.

"I just want to do my own thing and show my qualities. Of course he was an amazing player, but different from me. I just want to try to do my own thing."