Player Profile Name Thierry Henry
Remember the kid in the playground who was better than
everyone else with a football at💸 his feet? That's what Thierry Henry was like in his
pomp.
The Frenchman had exquisite technique, searing pace and surprising strength.💸 And
like the typical schoolboy superstar, he did pretty much everything for his team. Henry
was the captain, the talisman,💸 the dead-ball expert, the penalty-taker and the
assist-maker.
Then there's the goals, a club record 228 of them to be precise.💸 And what
a portfolio Henry built up during his eight years as Arsenal. Thumping drives, delicate
chips, jinking runs, audacious💸 backheels, even the odd header - the Frenchman had a
myriad of ways to find the net.
Everyone has their own💸 Henry highlights but here's just
a few to whet the appetite: that flick-up and lob over Fabien Barthez, the slaloming
💸 run against Liverpool, the 60-yard surge against Spurs, that cheeky clip against
Charlton, that beauty in the Bernabeu. Etcetera, etcetera,💸 etcetera.
And remember,
Henry wasn't even a bonafide striker when he arrived at Highbury in the summer of 1999.
Remember when💸 he came off the bench for his debut against Leicester and threatened the
North Bank regulars with his scattergun shooting?💸 Surely Henry wasn't the natural
replacement for Nicolas Anelka?
Arsène Wenger thought otherwise and, with the help of
his eager French💸 student, transformed Henry from erratic winger into striker
extraordinaire. Henry took nine games to open his Arsenal account but a💸 brace against
Derby announced his arrival as a decent finisher. By the end of the season he was
scoring at💸 will and within a few years he was regarded as the best striker in the
world. The North Bank could💸 stop ducking and start celebrating.
They had plenty to
celebrate too as Henry's goals came hand in hand with trophies. There💸 were
disappointments at first - the Uefa Cup and the FA Cup slipped agonisingly through
Arsenal's grasp at the turn💸 of the century - but a Double in 2002 made amends. Henry's
contribution was emphatic: 32 goals in all competitions.
The💸 Frenchman raised the bar
even higher in the following two campaigns. Arsenal had to settle for the FA Cup in
💸 2003 but 42 goals, 23 assists and both Player of the Year awards summed up just how
influential Henry had💸 become. He scooped both awards in 2004 as well and contributed 39
goals as Arsenal completed an unbeaten title season.💸 Of all the 'Invincibles', Henry
was surely the most indispensable.
In hindsight, this was probably Henry's prime and he
can count💸 himself unlucky to miss out on the FIFA World Player of the Year award in
2003 and 2004, finishing runner-up💸 on both occasions. The Frenchman was unplayable at
times, capable of scoring from anywhere and terrorising defences all over the
💸 continent, especially when he drifted out left to pick up possession and run at
retreating opponents.
As football became increasingly big💸 business, Henry became the
Arsenal 'brand'. This attractive, charismatic figurehead was now a global superstar,
admired by all and feared💸 by opponents. He even received standing ovations at away
grounds and had a special affinity with Portsmouth's fans after sporting💸 a Pompey shirt
after an FA Cup tie at Fratton Park. Rival fans wished he was theirs, but Henry was
💸 ours.
Patrick Vieira's surprise departure in the summer of 2005 took Henry onto an even
higher plain - he was now💸 Arsenal captain. He celebrated in style, eclipsing the Club's
scoring record with a brace at Sparta Prague in October of💸 that year. Henry had learned
so much about forward play from Ian Wright; now he was leaving the ultimate finisher💸 in
his wake.
Two League titles, three FA Cups, four Golden Boots, five Player of the Year
awards and that Club💸 record represented a major haul, but one thing was missing from
Henry's CV. The Champions League had eluded him after💸 an agonising defeat in the 2006
Final but he made amends three years later when he was part of the💸 Barcelona team which
beat Manchester United.
New York is where Henry now plies his trade. But he will always
be an💸 Arsenal man. In 2007 the fans voted for the Gunners' Greatest Moments and Henry
was involved in five of the💸 top 10. A year later, he eclipsed Bergkamp, Adams et al to
win our Gunners' Greatest Player poll.
