Thierry Henry has named sometime international colleague Nicolas Anelka as his dream strike partner at Arsenal.
The two Parisians are close friends off the pitch but their paths never crossed at Highbury as Henry arrived in the summer of 1999 to replace his Real Madrid-bound compatriot.
Anelka set an early standard for Arsene Wenger's foreign acquisitions but his decision to defect to the Bernabeu meant the manager's focus was switched to turning then-Juventus winger Henry into one of the globe's most feared strikers.
Gunners boss Wenger has previously stated he would have loved to have used the two athletic strikers in tandem, but only the French international team has been able to field both talents at the same time.
When quizzed on which player he would most like to play with at Emirates Stadium, Henry responded by choosing the player who returned to The Premiership with Bolton over the summer.
"It would have been Nicolas," said Henry at a fans forum.
"I played with Wrighty which was fantastic but it would have been great with Nicolas.
"We just missed each other at the club.
"He drifts out to the right , I drift to the left.
"Together I think we would have done well."
Henry also named Dutch legend Dennis Bergkamp as his favourite partner down the years, stating: "Bergkamp is miles ahead".
After the disappointment of midweek, when Henry had a late strike controversially chalked off in the defeat to CSKA Moscow, Arsenal turn their attentions to Sunday's Premiership game with Reading, live on Sky Sports 1.
The Royals have made a mockery of their pre-season status as relegation fodder, but Wenger is boasting a healthy squad ahead of the trip to The Madejski Stadium - despite Swedish skipper Freddie Ljungberg still suffering with a calf problem.
Gael Clichy has recently returned to the first team after a lengthy absence and now Wenger has revealed that fellow Frenchman Mathieu Flamini and Swiss stopper Philippe Senderos could also be in line to make a comeback.
"We did not get any new injuries from Tuesday and Freddie Ljungberg is not quite ready yet," Wenger told the club's official website.
"We have no one else coming back.
"Philippe Senderos and Mathieu Flamini are available again because they played in the Reserves in midweek. I don't know if I will draft them in. I will decide that later."