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10 Greatest Moments in Arsenal, Barcelona, France Star Thierry Henry's Career
December 16, 201410 Greatest Moments in Arsenal, Barcelona, France Star Thierry Henry's Career
The time has come: The great Thierry Henry has called time on his career and retired from professional football.
The former France international plied his career in five different nations with five different clubs, breaking through at Monaco and moving to Juventus before really coming of age and ability at Arsenal. He later moved to Barcelona before seeing out his career with New York Red Bulls.
Henry won 123 caps with his national side, scoring 51 times, and retires at 37 years of age a respected figure in the game. Here are 10 of his most memorable moments from a glittering career.
1997: Ligue 1 Title with Monaco
Henry broke into the Monaco team during the '94-95 season and just a couple of years later helped them win the Ligue 1 title.
At that point he still played from the wing more often than not, though still recorded 10 goals during the campaign to lift the first major silverware in his career.
Henry's manager at the time was Jean Tigana, though it was Arsene Wenger who signed him to his first deal.
1998: World Cup Winner with France
International honours soon followed as Henry's talents impressed all, and he was part of the victorious France squad in the 1998 World Cup on home soil.
As a starting forward, he scored in the group-stage match against South Africa before hitting a brace against Saudi Arabia. He started the round-of-16 game, came on as a sub and scored in the penalty shootout in the quarters, played most of the semi-final and was an unused sub in the final itself.
France beat Brazil 3-0 and Henry had a World Cup winners' medal to his name.
2000: European Championships Winner
Two years later, France continued their international dominance by winning Euro 2000, with Henry again a key figure.
He netted against Denmark and Czech Republic in the groups and added another, a vital equaliser, in the semi-finals against Portugal. This time around Henry played the full 90 minutes plus extra time in the final, with France beating Italy by a golden goal.
Two tournaments, two winners' medals for Henry.
2002: The Double and Top Goalscorer
By now with Arsenal and established as one of the Premier League's best players, Thierry Henry really hit top gear in the 2001-02 season.
He finished as top scorer in the league with 24 goals to his name, hitting 32 in all competitions—starting a run of five successive seasons where he topped 30 in all competitions.
The team as a whole were just as impressive, winning both the Premier League and FA Cup to clinch the double, a year after they had lost in the FA Cup final late on.
2003: World Player of the Year Runner-Up
2003 was a top year for Henry personally as he won the PFA Players' Player of the Year and was again voted into the PFA Team of the Year, the UEFA Team of the Year and won the FWA Footballer of the Year.
The striker was in the form of his life, scoring at will and showing great poise and power to be one of the biggest threats anywhere in the game.
That was recognised as Henry was nominated for the FIFA World Player of the Year, eventually finishing in second place.
2004: Invincible
Arsenal fans will never forget 2003-04 as they went through the entire Premier League season unbeaten to claim another league title.
Henry was, of course, central to everything that the Invincibles achieved that year, scoring 30 in 37 league games and 39 in all competitions.
Henry's tally of 30 in the top flight was also enough to see him crowned the top scorer in Europe, winning the Golden Boot as a result.
2005: Thierry Henry, Arsenal's All-Time Highest Goalscorer
Arsenal's highest goalscorer of all time was formerly Ian Wright, but in October 2005, Thierry Henry surpassed the English striker by hitting his 186th goal in the Gunners jersey.
Henry continued banging them in, including on a return spell on loan in 2012, and ends his career as the highest scorer in club history with 228 in all competitions. His 175 league goals are also a club record.
2007: Henry Also Becomes France's All-Time Top Goalscorer
Michel Platini is a legendary figure in French football due to both his exemplary performances and clinical goalscoring, but Henry even managed to surpass his tally of 41 goals at international level.
In 2007, he scored five goals for his nation during the calendar year, taking him past Platini.
Another three years playing for France beyond that left Henry with a total of 51 international strikes, and he remains 10 clear at the top of the list.
Of current players, Karim Benzema is closest to that haul—with just 25, highlighting the gulf in quality between very good strikers and the absolute best at that level.
2009: The Barcelona Sextuple
After leaving Arsenal, Henry joined Barcelona in Spain—and formed part of a deadly attacking lineup which included a burgeoning Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto'o.
Henry's greatest year with the Catalan side came in 2009 as he helped them win the Copa del Rey and La Liga, with the Champions League following shortly afterward.
Further success was around the corner at the start of the next season, still in 2009, as Barcelona won the Supercopa, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup—a sextuple, every competition won which they entered, with Henry a massive part of it.
2013: MLS Regular Season Champions
The final chapter of Henry's career saw him move to United States with New York Red Bulls, where he played out the last seasons of his long journey in the world of football.
In 2013, he helped the Red Bulls not only to the top of the Eastern Conference standings in the regular season but also the Supporters' Shield as the top team in either Conference.
Ultimate glory just evaded Henry as the Red Bulls lost out in the Eastern Conference final this year, but he still had a huge impact and received more silverware during his time in the States before now retiring at the end of 2014.