Thierry Henry and Cristiano Ronaldo headline 25 Premier League stars who went 007 in Florian Wirtz boost

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Manchester United, Jadon Sancho and a junior graphic designer inadvertently changed the Premier League forever.The Aston Villa loanee was crudely photoshopped in a James Bond tuxedo, and four years later, 007 remains a part of football lexicon.13Wirtz is yet to register a goal contribution in the Premier LeagueCredit: GettySancho's struggles upon his arrival at Man United in 2021 following his £73million move from Borussia Dortmund are well-documented.Unfortunately for the 25-year-old, his first month at Old Trafford coincided with the release of the James Bond film, 'No Time to Die.'As a result, an infamous graphic was shown on Sky Sport Germany depicting Sancho as Daniel Craig after his seventh United appearance.Playing on the use of Bond's British Secret Service code name, 007, it referenced the winger's zero goals and zero assists in seven games.read more football newsIt has since taken on a life of its own on social media, with most Premier League stars now judged solely on goal contributions.Sancho himself was once synonymous with impressive stats after bursting onto the scene with Dortmund as a teenager. In fact, he is only behind Kylian Mbappe for the most career combined goals and assists by a player younger than 20 in Europe's top five leagues, with 60 in the Bundesliga.Within the top ten of that list are two Ballon d'Or winners and Man United's all-time top scorer, Wayne Rooney.In eighth is the player that has since usurped Sancho as the face of 007 in the Premier League - Liverpool's Florian Wirtz.Wirtz hasn't scored or assisted in any of his Premier League or Champions League appearances since his £116.5m transfer.13Bergkamp failed to score in his first seven games for Arsenal - but did get an assistCredit: GettyHenry and Ronaldo both went 007Wirtz can take solace from the fact that plenty of future Premier League Hall of Famers didn't hit the ground running either.Some, like the German, were big-money signings that needed time to settle, while others were academy players establishing themselves.With that in mind, talkSPORT.com has gathered a list of 25 players who went 007 in the Premier League - before Sancho.To avoid rubbing salt into the wounds of flops who never recovered their form, the following names all went on to register 50+ goal involvements for a single club in England's top-flight.A select five stars who went their first seven without a goal or assist will be profiled below, with the full list of stats detailed below.13Eden Hazard speaking on the current state of football last yearThierry Henry 007 - ArsenalThe Frenchman's conversion from a struggling winger to one of the greatest strikers in Premier League history has been told and retold.In 1999, Henry reunited with his former Monaco boss Arsene Wenger after a period playing out of position at Juventus.Upon his arrival at Arsenal, he admitted that he had to 'rediscover the scoring instinct, that automatic reaction in front of goal'.13Henry was only a few months younger than Wirtz and finished his first season with 17 Premier League goalsCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd“I’ve literally had to go back to school and be re-taught everything about the art of striking,” Henry also admitted.It took the Hall of Famer until his eighth appearance for the club on September 17th to score his first goal in a 1-0 win at Southampton.Two months later, that remained his only Arsenal strike, but a brace in a 2-1 victory over Derby well and truly opened the floodgates.Henry finished up as the Gunners' record scorer, with 175 Premier League goals and 74 assists.13Henry won the Premier League Golden Boot on four occasionsCredit: GettyCristiano Ronaldo 007 - Manchester UnitedIn August 2003, Alex Ferguson greenlit the signing of Ronaldo for £12m from Sporting, a then-record fee for a teenager in England.The five-time Ballon d'Or winner had left John O'Shea requiring an 'oxygen tank' after creating two goals in a 3-1 win over Man United during a pre-season friendly a week earlier.The then-18-year-old, who was handed the number seven shirt formerly worn by David Beckham, ironically then went 007.13Ronaldo scored four Premier League goals in 29 appearances in his first seasonCredit: GettyRonaldo made his first United debut as a 61st-minute substitute in a 4-0 season opener against Bolton at Old Trafford on 16 August 2003.It wasn't until a free-kick against Portsmouth in November that CR7 scored the first of 145 goals in 346 games across two United spells.On the day, it was the third goal in a 3-0 United win, now it stands as just one among Ronaldo's 946 that's made him the top scorer ever."I wouldn't say I was at fault," ex-Pompey keeper, Shaka Hislop, told ESPN, before joking: "But I would say Ronaldo owes me a great deal."13Roberto Firmino 007 - LiverpoolIn a true mirroring of Wirtz, the Brazilian was the Reds' second most expensive player, who struggled to hit the ground running at Anfield.Firmino arrived at Liverpool as an attacking midfielder from the Bundesliga in 2015, having scored four goals in nine games for Brazil.However, it was clear Brendan Rodgers, who was manager at the time, preferred fellow new arrival Christian Benteke in his attack.In Firmino’s book, ‘Si Señor: My Liverpool Years’, the 34-year-old revealed he eventually learned Rodgers never wanted to sign him.13The arrival of Jurgen Klopp proved completely transformative, and the first of his eventual 111 goals for the club came in a 4-1 hammering away at Manchester City - the first statement performance of the German's Merseyside tenure.Through the entirety of Klopp's career as a manager, no player made more appearances for his sides than Firmino's 355 games.In the Premier League era, only Steven Gerrard, Steve McManaman and Mohamed Salah have assisted more goals for Liverpool.Firmino ultimately left the club in 2023, after winning every trophy possible, including the Premier League and Champions League.13Firmino admitted his celebration against Rodgers' Leicester on Boxing Day 2019 was to deliver a messageCredit: GettySteven Gerrard 007 - LiverpoolFittingly, the legendary Reds captain was once called 'James Bond' by former teammate Daniel Sturridge, because 'he can do everything'.In fact, Gerrard was even endorsed by Daniel Craig to be a potential successor to the 007 mantle - and not for the football insult.Little do the pair know that the ex-England star waited over a year to score his first Liverpool goal after debuting in November 1998.Gerrard made 12 Premier League appearances in his maiden campaign, including four starts, in midfield and on the right wing.13By his own admission, in a 2008 interview with The Guardian, the 45-year-old said: "I was out of position and out of my depth."He scored once in over 2000 minutes across 29 games in the 99/00 season, a rocket first goal in a 4-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday.However, after recovering from a series of back and groin injuries, Gerrard emerged as a midfield force in his third year as a professional.One of Liverpool's greatest ever players finished with 120 goals in 710 appearances, captaining them to Champions League glory in 2005.13Liverpool icon Gerrard scored the first goal in the club's memorable comeback from three down against AC MilanCredit: GettyIan Rush 007 - LiverpoolAs elder footballing icons like Gary Lineker often joke, football didn't exist until 1992, when the Premier League was officially born.Due to this, the ridiculous nature of 007 is best summed up by the fact that it technically includes Liverpool's greatest-ever goalscorer.What fans may not realise is that the goal that saw him take that record - his 287th at the time - came on his eighth Premier League appearance after a 007 run before it.The Welsh forward plundered over a century of goals during his first spell at Anfield before joining Juventus in the late 1980s.13Ian Rush, who has 346 Liverpool goals to his name, played an integral part in Liverpool's treble-winning side in 1983-84Credit: Getty - ContributorAfter just one season in Italy, Rush returned to Liverpool for a then record fee for an English club, £2.7m, under Kenny Dalglish.His first seven Premier League appearances went without a single goal contribution, before that record-breaking moment in a 2-2 draw against Man United at Old Trafford in October 1992."It was such a great feeling to break the record, against Manchester United too, who had Peter Schmeichel – a top goalkeeper – in goal," Rush later recalled to Liverpoolfc.com.Read More on talkSPORT"I knew if I scored then I'd break the record, and the reaction when I actually did it goes to show what it meant to me."My dad was a big Liverpool fan and Roger Hunt was his hero.

So when he saw me break the record, he had tears in his eyes, which made it an even prouder moment."13Rush presented Mohamed Salah with the Premier League Golden Boot last seasonCredit: GettyPlayers with 50+ goal involvements for a single club in the Premier League who had no goals or assists after their first seven games