Carlo Ancelotti had decided to move the striker on just six months after his arrival and it soon became clear to the Arsenal faithful why. Shifted to a more central role, Henry missed chance after chance in the first few games. The whispers of doubt turned into murmurs of discontent; Wenger had bought a player who had scored just 31 goals in 161 matches in France and Italy, surely no replacement for prolific compatriot Nicolas Anelka.
That is, until the eighth game of the league. With the game against Southampton at a deadlock and just over 10 minutes to go, substitute Henry trapped the ball under his foot with his back to goal. There were over 15,000 people at The Dell that day, perhaps none except Wenger foresaw what was to come next. Henry swivelled on the ball and curled it into the far right corner. The Saints were silenced, so were the whispers and the murmurs. Arsenal’s newest hero was born; their greatest-ever goalscorer had opened his account.
Henry would go on to become Arsenal’s top scorer that season with 26 goals. He would go on to become Arsenal’s top-scorer for seven consecutive seasons. The Frenchman also won the Premier League Golden Boot four times between 2001 and 2006, with Ruud van Nistlerooy scoring one more than him in the 2002-03 season to prevent him from making it five in a row.
But the Frenchman was not only prolific, he also had a knack of scoring incredible goals in big matches. “Henry could take the ball in the middle of the park and score a goal that no one else in the world could score,” Wenger once said famously.
The striker proved his manager right time and again in England — against Liverpool, against Leeds, against Tottenham and in Europe — against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu, against Inter Milan at the San Siro. Sergio Ramos, Fabio Cannavaro, Javier Zanetti, Jamie Carragher; all left in his wake at one point or the other as he scored solo goals ‘no one else in the world could score’.
Henry could also score from distance; his turn and volley against Manchester United, his free-kick against Wigan, his thunderbolt against Manchester City.
He could score the outrageous and the unthinkable; the back-heel against Charlton, the outside-of-the-foot shot against Spartak Moscow, the free-kick against Chelsea.
He could score them all, he did score them all. For France and Arsenal; top-scorer for both.
However, loved almost everywhere but in his homeland, Henry was far from the perfect role-model, anything but. Arrogant and competitive to a fault, the Frenchman once asked the referee ‘is that good enough’ against Wigan after scoring from a free-kick that he had to retake after having scored on the first attempt as well.
He revelled in mocking rivals, especially Tottenham and Chelsea. His celebrations in his brace against the Blues showcasing his penchant for mocking opponents, shaking his head as if disgusted at how easy it was for the first one and then running up to Jose Mourinho for the second and asking ‘is that all you’ve got?’ after embarrassing Petr Cech with a quickly taken free-kick.
Nor was Henry above cheating to win; his over-the-top reaction to Carlos Puyol’s tackle in 2006 and the infamous incident when he ‘single-handedly’ led France to the 2010 World Cup with his blatant handball against Republic of Ireland in the play-offs.
Arrogant and a cheat, talented and hardworking, outrageous and deadly, Wenger’s greatest signing, The King that kissed Highbury goodbye, the living embodiment of the statue outside The Emirates. Call him what you may, with Henry gone, football has lost perhaps the last of its great number 9s.
Thank you Thierry, and farewell.
Testimonials
“I’m obsessed by the idea of making my mark on history. And Arsenal is my paradise.”
Thierry Henry
"Ronaldinho is a special player, but Thierry Henry is probably technically the most gifted footballer ever to play the beautiful game."
Former team-mate Zinedine Zidane
"I did not notice that Henry was not a winger"
Former Juventus coach Carlo Ancelotti when asked about the biggest mistake of his career
“If you look at the whole package, with everything Henry has, I don't think you can find that anywhere else. You give him the ball in the right place and his acceleration will take him past any defender in the world.”
Dennis Bergkamp
“He's a wizard with his feet and is blessed with a gift for scoring goals. His best quality is his speed while the ball is at his feet. He may be the fastest man ever to lace up a football boot. No defender in the world can keep up with him."
Former France teammate Lilian Thuram
“He can do things Ronaldo can't. When he's in the mood there's no stopping him. He is like no other striker. I have to say I haven't seen a player like him. He's an athlete with great technical ability and a tremendous desire to be the best.”
Arsenal legend Alan Smith
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the writer is a arsenal fan will always praise the manager and the players playing for the club