Arsenal midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain revealed that Arsenal’s Thierry Henry and Chelsea’s Gianfranco Zola were his two favourite players when he was a child.

Answering questions made by Arsenal Chinese fans, the Englishman explained that height was the reason why he admired the Italian with the Frenchman of course an icon for many young Arsenal fans with the 18-year old describing the Arsenal legend as unbelievable, one who scored for fun, in almost every single game.

Asked if his father influenced his type of game, the youngster replied by saying that his father was the one to help him in becoming a professional football player and how he started as a central midfielder and not on the wing.

So far this season, Oxlade-Chamberlain only featured sporadically in Arsene Wenger’s starting eleven but is considered by many as one of England’s most talented youngsters as his goals for Arsenal and the Under 21 showed this year.

On his childhood, the 18-year old said:

[Who were my favourite players growing up?] For me it was Thierry Henry. I think him and Gianfranco Zola.

Zola was quite similar to me because he was small, and I was one of the smallest growing up.

I used to watch him a lot, and of course Thierry because he was unbelievable.

He just used to score every week – Match of the Day just used to be him scoring goals for fun.

[If my father influenced my playing style?] I’m not sure he did that but he was always the one who used to take me out and taught me how to play.

I never played Sunday League football, I went straight into an Academy from when I was seven.

The way he brought me up to play might have been similar to him, but I was always a central midfielder whereas he was a winger. It’s only recently that people say I play a bit like him.