Thierry Henry

At 46 years old, Thierry Henry has this physical status:

Thierry Daniel Henry (born 17 August 1977) is a French professional football coach and former player who is currently the manager of Major League Soccer club Montreal Impact. Considered one of the best strikers of all-time, Henry made his professional debut with Monaco in 1994, where good form led to an international call-up in 1998, after which he signed for defending Serie A champions Juventus.

Limited playing time, combined with disagreements with club hierarchy, led to him signing for Premier League club Arsenal for £11 million in 1999. It was at Arsenal that Henry made his name as a world-class player.

Under long-time mentor and coach Arsène Wenger, Henry became a prolific striker and Arsenal's all-time leading scorer with 228 goals in all competitions.

He received the Premier League Golden Boot a record four times.

Henry won two FA Cups and two league titles at the club, including one unbeaten.

In 2003 and 2004, Henry was the runner-up for the FIFA World Player of the Year.

He was named the PFA Players' Player of the Year twice, and the FWA Footballer of the Year three times, and has been named in the UEFA Team of the Year five times.

Henry spent his final two seasons with Arsenal as club captain, leading them to the 2006 UEFA Champions League Final. In June 2007, after eight years with Arsenal, he transferred to Barcelona for a fee of €24 million.

In 2009, he was an integral part of the club's historic treble when they won La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League.

He went on to achieve an unprecedented sextuple by also winning the Supercopa de España, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.

In 2010, he joined New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer (MLS), where he won the MLS Supporters' Shield in 2013.

He also returned to Arsenal on loan for two months in 2012, before retiring in 2014. Henry enjoyed sustained success with France, winning the 1998 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2000 and 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup.

In October 2007, he became his country's record goalscorer.

After amassing 123 appearances and 51 goals, Henry retired from international football after the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Henry was also one of the top commercially marketed footballers; he was ranked ninth in the world in 2006. After retiring, Henry transitioned into coaching, and was appointed as an assistant coach at Belgium in 2016, before assuming the role as the head coach at former club Monaco in 2018.

He was relieved of his duties at Monaco in January 2019, and returned to MLS less than a year later to manage the Montreal Impact.

Early years

Henry is of Antillean heritage: his father, Antoine, is from Guadeloupe (La Désirade island), and his mother, Maryse, is from Martinique. He was born and raised in Les Ulis suburb of Paris which, despite sometimes being seen as a tough neighbourhood, provided good footballing facilities. As a seven-year-old, Henry showed great potential, prompting Claude Chezelle to recruit him to the local club CO Les Ulis. His father pressured him to attend training, although the youngster was not particularly drawn to football. He joined US Palaiseau in 1989, but after a year his father fell out with the club, so Henry moved to ES Viry-Châtillon and played there for two years. US Palaiseau coach Jean-Marie Panza, Henry's future mentor, followed him there.

Source

Club career

In 1990, Monaco sent scout Arnold Catalano to watch Henry, who was then 13 years old in a match. Henry scored all six goals as his team defeated 6–0. Catalano begged him to join Monaco without attending a trial first. Catherine of Catalano requested Henry to complete a course at the prestigious INF Clairefontaine academy, but despite the director's refusal to admit Henry due to his poor school results, the student was able to finish the course and joined Arsène Wenger's Monaco as a youth player. In a 2–0 loss against Nice, Henry debuted professionally with Monaco and made his professional debut on August 31, 1994. Despite Wenger's suggestion that Henry be sent as a striker, Henry was still on the left wing because he felt that his speed, natural ball coordination, and agility would be more effective against full backs than against center-backs.

Henry was named the Young Footballer of the Year in 1996, and the club won the Ligue 1 title in 1996 and 1997. He was instrumental in leading his team to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals in 1997–98, setting a French record by scoring seven goals in the competition. He had earned his first cap for the national team by his third season and was a member of the winning team in the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He continued to impress during his time with Monaco, and the young winger scored 20 goals in 105 appearances during his five seasons with the club.

Henry left Monaco in January 1999, one year before his close and closest teammate David Trezeguet, and migrated to Juventus in Italy for £10.5 million. He served on the wing, wing back, and wide midfield, but was ineffective as a goal scorer, struggling against the offensive discipline demonstrated by teams in Serie A, with only three goals in 16 appearances. Henry cited differences with Juve director Luciano Moggi as the reason for his decision to leave the club in 2019.

Henry moved from Juventus to Arsenal for an estimated fee of £11 million on August 3, 1999, reuniting with his former manager Arsène Wenger, who was unsettled in Italy. Henry made his name as a world-class footballer at Arsenal, and although his move was not without controversy, Wenger was convinced that the transfer fee was well worth the money. Henry was immediately transformed into a striker by Wenger after being brought on as a replacement for fellow French forward Nicolas Anelka, a move that would pay handsome dividends in years to come. However, questions were raised over his potential to adapt to the quick and physical English game in which he failed to score in his first eight games. Henry recalled that he had to "be re-taught everything about striking" after several months in England. These doubts were dispelled when he ended his first season at Arsenal with a record of 26 goals. Arsenal finished second in the Premier League behind Manchester United United, and they lost in the UEFA Cup Final against Turkish club Galatasaray.

Henry was poised to make a difference in the 2000–01 season after coming off the back of a triumphant UEFA Euro 2000 campaign with the national team. Despite scoring fewer goals and assists in his first season, Henry's second season with Arsenal was a triumph, as he became the club's top goalcorer. His goal was a spectacular play against Manchester United where he flicked the ball up (with his back turned to goal) before he swivelled and volleyed in from 30 yards out. The strike also culminated in a memorable goal celebration in which he reconstructed the Budweiser "Whassup?" Advertisement. Arsenal finished runners-up to perennial rivals Manchester United in the Premier League, armed with one of the league's finest assaults. The team also reached the FA Cup final, losing 2–1 to Liverpool. Henry, however, was dissatisfied with the fact that he had yet to help the club win awards, and he had often expressed his desire to establish Arsenal as a powerhouse.

During the 2001–2002 season, triumph finally came. Arsenal defeated Chelsea 2–0 in the FA Cup Final after finishing seven points above Liverpool to win the Premier League title. As he led Arsenal to a double and his first silverware with the club, Henry became the league's best goalscorer and scored 32 goals in all competitions. During the 2002 FIFA World Cup, there was a lot of expectation that Henry would bring his team spirit to France, but the defending champions were dissatisfied with their group's demise at the group level.

Henry's 2002–03 season was another fruitful year for him, with 32 goals in all competitions and 23 assists—all but exceptional returns for a striker. Arsenal won another FA Cup match (where he was man-of-the-match in the Final), but Arsenal lost their Premier League title, although Arsenal failed to retain their Premier League crown. He competed with Manchester United's Ruud van Nistelrooy for the league scoring title, but the Dutchman beat Henry by a single goal throughout the season. Nevertheless, Henry was named both PFA Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year. When he emerged runner-up for the 2003 FIFA World Player of the Year award, he was affirmed as one of the world's best footballers. Henry set a new record for most assists in a single Premier League season, while also being the first player in Europe to score more than 20 goals and 20 assists in a single season in one of Europe's top-five leagues, beating Lionel Messi in 2020.

Arsenal was determined to regain the Premier League crown in 2003-04. Henry was also instrumental in Arsenal's remarkable season; together with Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Vieira, Freddie Ljungberg, and Robert Pires, Henry made sure the Gunners became the first team to win the entire domestic league season for the first time in more than a century, winning the league championship in the process. Henry was also voted runner-up for the 2004 FIFA World Player of the Year award and FWA Footballer of the Year in his second year in a row. The Frenchman led the league in goals scored and won the European Golden Boot with 39 goals scored in all competitions. However, Henry was unable to lead the national team to honours during UEFA Euro 2004, as had been the case in 2002.

Arsenal lost out on back-to-back league titles as a result of the 2005–05 season, but Arsenal did win the FA Cup (the Final of which Henry did not recover due to injury). Henry earned his reputation as one of Europe's top scorers while still leading the league in scoring, and he finished the European Golden Boot co-recipient (with Diego Forlán) for the first time in a row, winning the competition twice in a row (Ally McCoist had won two Golden Boots in a row twice in a row). Henry was made captain of Arsenal's 2005-season, after an unexpected departure from the team's captaincy; the captaincy is more often reserved to defenders or midfielders, who are better placed on the field to read the game. He was not only the chief goalscorer, but he was also responsible for leading a very young team that was yet to gel properly.

Henry's 2005–06 season was one of his most notable personal accomplishments. Henry became the club's top goalscorer of all time on October 17th; in the Champions League, he defeated Sparta Prague, throttling Ian Wright's record of 185 goals. He scored a goal against West Ham United on February 1, bringing his total number up to 151 goals, beating Arsenal legend Cliff Bastin's record. Henry scored his 100th league goal at Highbury, a feat unmatched in the club's history and a first appearance in the Premier League. Henry scored a hat-trick against Wigan Athletic in the last match played at Highbury on the last day of the Premier League season. For the third time in his career, he was named in the FIFA World XI. He ended the season as the league's best goalscorer.

However, Arsenal lost the Premier League again, but hopes of a trophy were revived when Arsenal defeated Arsenal in the 2006 UEFA Champions League Final. Henry was assisting the team's only goal from a free kick, and Arsenal's inability to win the league championship for two seasons in a row, as well as the Arsenal squad's relative inexperience caused a lot of rumors that Henry will leave for another team. However, he expressed his love for the club and signed a four-year deal, and confirmed that he will remain at Arsenal for life. Before the signing of the new deal, Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein later said that the club had turned down two bids of £50 million from Spanish clubs for Henry. If the transfer took place, it would have surpassed the then-world record £47 million paid for Zinedine Zidane.

Henry's 2006–07 season was marred by sickness. Henry's season came to an end in February despite scoring ten goals in 17 domestic appearances for Arsenal. He was deemed fit enough to play against PSV in a Champions League match, but he was soon limping after starting, despite missing games due to hamstring, foot, and back pain. Scans the next day revealed that he would need at least three months to recover from groin and stomach injuries, which had caused him to miss the remainder of the 2006–07 season. Henry's illness was attributed to a protracted 2005-06 campaign, and Wenger said Henry was eager to return to the Gunners in 2007-08 season.

Henry was transferred to Barcelona for €24 million on June 25, 2007, an unexpected turn of events. He has been in his four-year contract for a reported €6.8 (£4.6) million per year. It was revealed that the deal included a release clause worth €125 (£84.9) million). Henry cited Meiner's departure and persistent ambiguity over Wenger's future as the reasons for his departure, saying, "I never said that if I ever left Arsenal, it would be to play for Barcelona." Arsenal got off to an encouraging start for the 2007-08 season, despite their captain's retirement, and Henry said his presence in the team might have been more of a hindrance than a support. "Because of my rank, the fact that I was captain, and my habit of screaming for the ball, they would often give it to me even when I wasn't in the right position," he said. So in that sense, it was beneficial for the team that I joined." Henry left Arsenal as Europe's top all-time goalscorer with 174 goals and his top all-time goal scorer with 42 goals in July 2008; Arsenal supporters voted him as Arsenal's top goal scorer with 172 goals and the most top all-time scorer in European tournaments with 42 goals; in July 2008, Arsenal fans named him as Arsenal's best player ever in the Gunners' Greatest 50 Players poll.

Henry was given the number 14 jersey at Barcelona, the same as he had worn at Arsenal. In a 3–0 Champions League group stage victory over Lyon on September 19, he scored his first goal for his new club, Barça's first hat-trick against Levante ten days later. However, Henry was unable to regain his goal-scoring form with Arsenal when he was mainly deployed on the wing throughout the season. In the initial year of widespread rumors of a return to the Premier League, he expressed dissatisfaction with the transfer to Barcelona. Henry described missing life "back home" and "the English press" in an interview with Garth Crooks on BBC's Football Focus. Henry, on his debut season, was the club's top scorer with 19 goals in addition to nine league assists, second behind Lionel Messi's ten.

Henry went on to defeat the record set in a more cohesive 2008-09 campaign, with 26 goals and 10 assists from the left wing. On May 13, Barcelona defeated Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey final for the first time in his Barcelona career. Barcelona secured the Primera División and UEFA Champions League shortly after, ending a treble for the Frenchman, who had worked with Messi and Eto'o to score 100 goals between them this season. The trio was also the most prolific trio in Spanish league history, scoring 72 goals and beating the 66 goals of Real Madrid's Ferenc Puskás, Alfredo Di Stéfano, and Luis del Sol of 1960–61 season (this was later surpassed by Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higua's 89 goals in 2011–12). Henry helped Barcelona win an historic sextuple, made up of the aforementioned treble, the Supercopa de Espaa, the UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup, which culminated in a spectacular sextuple.

Henry played in only 15 league games last season due to Pedro's return to the league. Henry "may go away in the summer transfer window if that's what he wants" before the La Liga season ended, and with a year still on his deal, club president Joan Laporta said on May 5th, 2010. Barcelona revealed that they had agreed to the transfer of Henry to an unidentified club after he returned from the 2010 World Cup, though the player is still to decide terms with the new club.

Henry signed a multi-year deal with the New York Red Bulls for the 2010 season as the second designated player in the league's (MLS) franchise. Juan Pablo ngel scored on his first MLS appearance against Houston Dynamo on July 31-2, 2–2 draw, assisting both teams in their goals. In a 2–0 victory over San Jose Earthquakes on August 28, he scored his first MLS goal. The Red Bulls eventually won the MLS Eastern Conference by a single point over Columbus Crew before losing 3–2 on aggregate against San Jose Earthquakes in the 2010 MLS Cup Playoffs. The Red Bulls finished 10th overall in the league last season and were bowed out in the 2011 MLS Cup Playoffs' Conference Semi-finals.

Henry re-signed for the club on a two-month loan agreement after training with Arsenal during the MLS offseason. This was to provide cover for Gervinho and Marouane Chamakh, who were unable to attend the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations due to their participation. Henry was given the number 12 jersey, his old Arsenal number 14 jersey, the same number he wore at Barcelona and New York, but Theo Walcottinherited it after Henry's release from the club in 2007. Henry played in his second Arsenal appearance as a replacement against Leeds United in the FA Cup third round, scoring the only goal. In a 2–1 victory over Sunderland in his last league game on loan, he scored the winning goal in stoppage time. His last goals for the club culminated in his career with a record 228 goals; 175 of them were in the Premier League; he ended his Arsenal career with a record 228 goals.

Henry returned to Red Bulls on February 17 to brace for the 2012 season. His base salary, which was guaranteed, made him the highest-paid player in MLS, surpassing David Beckham, who had been paid less for his last year with the Los Angeles Galaxy. Henry's base salary dropped to $3.75 million in 2013, putting him behind Robbie Keane's $4 million base salary. Henry was still the highest-paid player with bonuses, although Keane's $4.33 million was the highest-paid player with $4.35 million.

Henry scored his first MLS hat-trick in a 5–2 Red Bulls victory over the Montreal Impact on March 31, 2012. He was named MLS Player of the Month for the month in the same month. In the last game of the season against the Chicago Fire on October 27, 2013, Henry scored once and gave two assists. It was the club's first major trophy in 17 years.

Henry scored and three assists in a 4–1 victory over the Columbus Crew on July 12, 2014. With that effort, he became the all-time assist leader for the New York Red Bulls, defeating Amado Guevara and Tab Ramos.

Henry had left the Red Bulls after four-and-a-half years with the club on December 1, 2014. On December 16, he announced his retirement as a player and said he would begin working for Sky Sports as a pundit. Henry Moore resigned from Sky for more than three years in July 2018 to focus on his career as a coach.

International career

Henry enjoyed a fruitful career with the France national team, winning the first of his 123 caps in June 1997, where he was given a call-up to Monaco's Under-20 national team, where he competed with future teammates William Gallas and David Trezeguet in the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship. Henry was called up to the senior team by Aimé Jacquet, a French head coach. In a 2–1 win over South Africa on October 11, the 20-year-old made his senior international debut on October 11, 1997. Jacquet was so impressed with Henry that he brought him to the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Despite Henry's unpopularity on international stage, the tournament's top scorer with three goals. Marcel Desailly had intended to appear as a replacement in the final, where France defeated Brazil 3–0, but instead, he was forced to make a defensive change. He was made a Knight of the Legion of Honour in 1998, France's highest award.

Henry was a member of France's UEFA Euro 2000 squad, scoring three goals in the tournament, including the equalizer against Portugal in the semi-finals and finishing as the country's top scorer. After a converted penalty kick by Zinedine Zidane, France won the game in extra time later. In the final, France defeated Italy in extra time, earning Henry his second major international medal. Henry was named man of the match in three games, including the final against Italy during the tournament.

The 2002 FIFA World Cup featured a dramatic early exit for both Henry and France as the defending champions were eliminated in the group stage after failing to score a goal in all three games. In their first group match against Senegal, France lost a match in a group match, and Henry was banned from sliding against Uruguay. France had a 0–0 draw in the game, but Henry was forced to miss the final group match due to injury; France lost 2–0 to Denmark.

At the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup, Henry returned to form for his country. France won despite playing without team stalwarts Zidane and Patrick Vieira in three of France's five matches, thanks in large part to Henry's outstanding play, for which he was dubbed Man of the Match by FIFA's Technical Study Group in three of his matches. After a 1-0 win over Cameroon, he scored the golden goal in extra time to lift the trophy for the host country. Henry was named both as the best player of the tournament and as the tournament's top goalcorer with four goals.

Henry played in all of France's matches and scored two goals. France defeated England in the group stage, but in the quarterfinals, they lost 1–0 to eventual winners Greece. Henry remained one of the squad's automatic starters during the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He started the tournament off as a novice striker, but after that poor start to the tournament, he became one of the top World Cup players. He scored three goals, including the winning goal from Zidane's free kick against Brazil in the quarter-finals. However, France went on to lose on penalties (5–3) in the final. Henry was unable to participate in the penalty shoot-out after being forced to return in extra time after his legs cramped. Henry was one of ten finalists for the Golden Ball award for Player of the Tournament, which was later awarded to his colleague, Zidane, and was named a starting striker on the 2006 FIFPro World XI team.

Henry scored his 41st goal against the Faroe Islands on October 13, 2007, taking over Michel Platini as the country's top goalscorer of all time. He scored a late double against Lithuania, thereby establishing a new record as France's top goalcorer four days later. Henry made his 100th appearance for the national team in a match against Colombia on June 3, 2008, his sixth French player to reach that milestone.

Henry missed the opening game of France's short-lived UEFA Euro 2008 season, where they were eliminated in the group stages after being drawn in the same group as Italy, the Netherlands, and Romania. In a 4–1 loss to the Netherlands, he scored France's only goal in the tournament.

The French team suffered during the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers and ended second in their group behind Serbia. Henry was embroiled in a controversy during the second leg of the game at the Stade de France on November 18, 2009. With the overall score tied at 1–1 and the game in extra time, he used his hand twice to control the ball before handing over the ball to William Gallas, who scored the winner. This ignited a barrage of shaming against the Frenchman, although Arsenal coach Raymond Domenech and Arsenal boss Arsène Wenger defended him. The Football Association of Ireland lodged a formal complaint with FIFA, requesting a replay of the game, which FIFA denied. After the outpouring of emotion, Henry said he considered retiring from international football, but that he did not want to be a "cheat"; just hours after FIFA barred out a replay, he said "the right option would be to replay the game." FIFA President Sepp Blatter characterized the incident as "blatant unfair play" and reported an inquiry into how such situations could be avoided in the future, and added that the incident will be investigated by the Disciplinary Committee. Henry also said that his family had been hurt in the aftermath of the tragedy. Henry's suspension was not based on legal grounds, according to FIFA in January 2010.

At the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Henry did not appear in the starting lineup for France. France won first game against Uruguay and then lost 2–0 in their second match against Mexico. When Nicolas Anelka was fired from the team, the team was disorganized, and captain Patrice Evra led a protest by refusing to train. France lost 2–1 and were barred from the tournament after Henry came on as a second-half substitute in Henry's last group game against host nation South Africa. He resigned from international football after winning 123 caps and scoring 51 goals for Les Bleus, marking his international career as France's top scorer and second most capped player after Lilian Thuram.

Managerial career

In February 2015, Henry began coaching Arsenal's youth teams as part of his Sky Sports work. Alex Iwobi, a player who dedicated a goal against Bayern Munich in the 2015–16 UEFA Youth League to his counsel, praised his contribution to the team. He had obtained a UEFA A licence, and was offered the position of under-18 coach by Academy head Andries Jonker, but Wenger, who needed a full-time coach for the team, was ruled against.

Henry became Belgium's second assistant coach in August 2016, working with head coach Roberto Martez and fellow assistant Graeme Jones. In an interview with NBC Sports, Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku praised Henry for his work with him, saying, "Henry is the best thing that has happened to me because since I came to England aged 18 I have had the best mentors." Thierry is the best in the world for me. If it's positive or negative, I take it in stride because I know what is expected from the top level at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but Belgium lost 1–0 to Henry's home country France. After Belgium defeated England 2–0 in the third place play-off to claim their highest-ever World Cup finish, Henry earned a Bronze medal.

Henry was reportedly offered the role as head coach by Bordeaux in August 2018. However, Henry was not able to accept the bid due to differences with the club's founders. Following Jones' departure from Belgium's national team, Henry, who had been the forwards coach, was promoted to Belgium assistant coach days after turning down the Bordeaux job. However, his time in the role was short-lived after he took over as head coach of former Monaco's former club Monaco in October.

Leonardo Jardim was fired as Monaco's head coach on October 11, 2018. Jardim's situation had deteriorated after being struggling so badly in domestic competition, with the club ranked 18th at the time of his departure and controversies regarding the club's transfer policy. Monaco's search for a new coach coincided with the start of the season, giving the club ample time to look for a replacement, but the club quickly decided on Henry, who was confirmed only two days later. He has since signed a three-year contract and was announced as Monaco's manager on October 18th. "This club will always have a prominent place in my heart," he told reporters, so to be able to come here and begin again, it is a dream come true." As you can imagine, there's a lot of work to do, but I'm more than happy to be here.

Some media publications were mixed on Henry's arrival in Monaco, owing to his relative inexperience as a top-level coach and the challenge of turning around Monaco's misfortunes. Despite inheriting a subparing squad, Henry expressed the desire to recreate the football he played under Pep Guardiola at Barcelona, as well as instilling the "professionalism" taught to him by Arsène Wenger. Henry took a hands-on approach to training sessions, while still being involved in designing and teaching drills. On October 20th, his first match was a 2–1 away loss against Strasbourg. He was unable to win for more than a month, enduring two major setbacks against Club Brugge and Paris Saint-Germain before defeating Caen on 1–0 on November 25th. In December, he won two victories over Amiens in the Coupe de la Ligue and Lorient in the Coupe de la Ligue, but this was against three other Ligue 1 losses to close 2018 in the relegation zone.

Henry and his Chelsea teammate Cesc Fàbregas joined him in January 2019 during the winter transfer window, where he signed left-back Fodé Ballo-Touré and former Arsenal teammate Cesc Fàbregas from Chelsea. On January 12, the French defensive midfielder William Vainqueur's loan signing was also suspended, as well as veteran defender Naldo. However, these signings did not turn around the club's fate, and Henry was fired at Monaco on January 24. Henry was 19th at the time of his resignation, and the club had a record of four victories, 5 draws, and 11 losses in the 20 games that had been in charge.

Henry signed with the Montreal Impact in November 14, 2019, extending his contract through the 2021 season until the 2022 season. Henry said in his first press conference, he had to "confront" the relative pain of his brief tenure as Monaco's director before starting a new one.

On February 25, 2021, the renamed CF Montreal head coach stepped down from his first playoff appearance in four seasons prior to the 2021 season. He could not attend them in the 2020 season due to travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, and with travel restrictions going into the 2021 season, he decided to end the separation.

Henry returned to Belgium's coaching staff in May 2021 ahead of the UEFA Euro 2020.

Henry was announced as an investor and minority stakeholder in August 2022, but Como denied it in August 2022.

Career statistics

Note

Source