Thierry Henry: Exploring the Player, the Phenomenon and the Legend

As a Manchester United supporter, I hated seeing the dreadful No. 14. Week in and week out, I saw Thierry Henry terrorize defences, gliding effortlessly through barriers like a hot knife through butter. As I witnessed him yesterday, coming on as a substitute against old rivals Leeds United, he brought back a lot of memories.

The moment he scored his goal was simply exquisite, and I wish I could relive that moment over and over again.

We have seen Arsenal falter too many times, but perhaps that exact point might be the one that revitalizes them; the one that pushes them to the top of the Premier League that they had occupied and defended so ferociously.

Never did I imagine that Thierry Henry could bring about a positive emotion in me, especially since he and his sublime goal-scoring antics were the No. 1 reason that held Manchester United off the title for many years.

Henry was born in the suburbs of Paris, in the town of Les Ulis that is viewed by many Parisians as a ghetto. He grew up in a state-subsidized, two-bedroom apartment where living conditions were less than ideal. His father, however, stressed the importance of athletics, especially football, and provided a plethora of opportunities for him to excel in the sport.

After being spotted by a notable scout, Thierry Pret, Henry began playing for the semi-pro club Viry-Chatillon's under-15 team. His parents split soon after, and despite his mother’s insistence on academics, Henry was selected to join the French Football Federation's Clairefontaine Academy, where his classmates included William Gallas, Nicolas Anelka and a host of other talented young footballers.

Although many thought Henry was just a raw talent with supreme pace, he was asked by Monaco scout Arnold Catalono to join Monaco without even a trial as he witnessed Henry derail an opposition team by scoring all six goals.

Arsene Wenger immediately recognized his potential, and under Wenger, Henry grew in stature and was named the French Young Footballer of the Year in 1996, the first of several major awards that would follow. He was poached by Real Madrid, who were fined by FIFA for illegal breaches as Henry was on the roster of both teams. Nonetheless, he continued playing for Monaco.

After being instrumental in helping Monaco to the French Ligue title and guiding them to a fairytale run to the 1997-1998 Champions League semifinal, he was signed by Juventus for £10.5 million.

Things then took a sour turn for the precocious player.

Henry was deployed on the wing and proved to be highly ineffective in unlocking the rigid defences of the Serie A. The Serie A fans were also more unsettled and assumed a ruffled stance towards Henry, unlike the calmness provided by Monaco and its fans. Henry was out of position, out of favor and out of confidence.

Again Wenger came to the rescue.

An opportunity to reunite with his old manager and long-time mentor resulted in his transfer to Arsenal. This is where he was transformed—a young, exciting prodigy became a world-class talent. He was placed as a striker, as opposed to a winger, and filled the void left by Nicholas Anelka.

In retrospect, his career at Arsenal proved to be sensational, but people have forgotten the amount of controversy that ensued when he was signed for such a large sum and failed to deliver in eight consecutive matches.

Slowly and steadily Henry settled in, gelled with the squad and started molding himself into an integral member of the team.

After a disappointing 2000-2001 season where Arsenal went out in the quarterfinal stage of the Champions League, the final of the FA cup and the title race, the 2001-2002 season provided Henry with the success he desired. Arsenal won the premiership by finishing seven points above Liverpool and won the FA Cup by defeating Chelsea.

Although 2002-2003 proved a year for the side in Manchester, 2003-2004 was a year that will perhaps go down as one of the greatest in footballing history. The Gunners went the whole season undefeated and by doing so received commendations from the entire footballing world.

It’s a shame that he missed out being the FIFA Player of the Year on two occasions, in 2003 and 2004, after finishing as runner-up to the maestro and fellow compatriot, Zidane, and the exciting Ronaldinho respectively. Nonetheless, he was not deterred and finished the 2005-2006 season as the highest goalscorer for Arsenal and also led them to the Champions League Final.

After providing years of invaluable service, Henry finally left Arsenal to join Barcelona, where he enjoyed a moderate level of success, the highlight being involved in the sextuple-winning season, which included the Copa del Rey, Champions League, La Liga, Supercopa de Espania, UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. After the emergence of Pedro Rodriguez, Henry left Barcelona to join the Red Bulls, where he is currently under contract.

It was remarkable to witness Henry again in Arsenal colors. It is indeed rare to observe a player playing his trade for the same club that had a statue erected in his honor. Yesterday’s goal will forever remain etched in my memory. I hope there are many more to follow!

Read about the top 10 players never to have won FIFA Player of the Year Award here.