Thierry Henry 'could do most things' on a pitch - Alan Shearer

Former England striker Alan Shearer says Thierry Henry "could do most things a footballer would want to do" following the Frenchman's retirement from football after a 20-year career.

Striker Henry, who is Arsenal's all-time leading goalscorer, left New York Red Bulls earlier this month.

"He could dribble, he could head, his control and his technique were excellent," said Shearer.

"And the good thing about him was he would score all types of goal."

BBC Match of the Day pundit Shearer added: "He could score headers, tap-ins, long-rangers, whether he was beating two or three players, we saw that on numerous occasions.

"I think that's what made him stand out. He had that ability and defenders didn't like playing against him."

Frenchman Henry won the World Cup in 1998, also played for Monaco, Juventus, and Barcelona, scored 175 Premier League goals and is fourth on the list of all-time scorers.

"He wasn't an out-and-out striker when he first arrived in the Premier League, but he took to the Premier League like a duck to water," added Shearer.

"He really enjoyed it. I think he enjoyed the intensity. When you look at some of the top foreign players that we've been lucky to have in the Premier League, he's without doubt up there among the very best.

"Without doubt he's been brilliant for the Premier League."

Henry won two Premier League titles and three FA Cups with the Gunners, where he played between 1999 and 2007.

He added the Champions League trophy with Barcelona in 2009 and returned to Arsenal for four matches on loan from the Red Bulls in 2012, coming on as a substitute to score the winner against Leeds in the third round of the FA Cup.

Former France defender and current Paris St-Germain boss Laurent Blanc added: "It's very hard for the children of today to imagine just how much Thierry Henry did across his football career.

"He did an enormous amount - with the French team but of course, most of all, with Arsenal.

"He has left an extremely big impression at Arsenal. He was an exceptional player with exceptional qualities. He had great goal-scoring ability and impressive durability."