Thierry Henry was one of Arsene Wengerâs most loyal collaborators but ultimately in June 2007 having won all the major honours in the domestic game he left his mentor at Arsenal to follow an increasingly well-worn path from the Emirates to Barcelonaâs Camp Nou.
The financial constraints of the move from Highbury Stadium and the unexpected emergence of free-spending Chelsea had left Arsenal unable to compete for domestic titles, and a Champions League winnerâs medal looked increasingly out of reach for Henry.
A relationship that had spanned more than a decade from the forwardâs emergence at Monaco in 1994 had seemingly come to an end. Despite later claiming to have ânever wanted to leave,â a new challenge clearly beckoned.
How good was Thierry Henry?
A product of the famous Clairefontaine Academy and boot boy for Jean Tigana with the national squad, Henry possessed undoubted pedigree but it was not until his reunion with Wenger in 1999 following a disappointing six months at Juventus that his career really took off.
The fluidity of Wengerâs Arsenal allowed Henry to operate as an unconventional striker playing from the left where explosive physicality, immaculate technique, an arrogant flamboyance and the ability to score from almost any position made him practically unplayable at his peak.
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Now immortalised by a statue outside the Emirates alongside fellow club legends Tony Adams and Dennis Bergkamp, when he departed he had established himself as all-time club record goalscorer with 228 goals in all competitions having been instrumental in the achievements of the legendary âInvinciblesâ team of 2003/04.
Why did Thierry Henry return to Arsenal?
After three seasons at Barcelona where he slotted seamlessly into the front three of Pep Guardiolaâs celebrated attacking side, collecting the coveted Champions League winnerâs medal amongst a host of other honours, Henry found himself out of favour with the clubâs hierarchy and he left in a high-profile transfer to New York Red Bulls in 2010 at the age of 32. He would go on to score 51 goals in 118 games.
Henry returned to Arsenal for fitness training during the MLS off-season in 2012. A rekindled relationship with Wenger resulted in a two-month loan deal for the striker at the Emirates to cover a shortage of attacking players.
Although he had limited impact, Henryâs match-winning goal against Leeds United in the FA Cup Third Round was a memorable coda to his Arsenal career and his unforgettable celebration was confirmation of his enthusiasm for the club.
When did Thierry Henry retire?
Henry announced his retirement from football in December 2014 at the age of 37 following New York Red Bullsâ elimination in the MLS playoffs. In the final season of his contract with the club, he scored 10 goals and assisted 14 in 30 games.
Having chosen to call time on his playing career, he pursued interests in television broadcasting and coaching. In 2015, he was again a big-money signing for British broadcaster Sky Sports and in the same year he would also return to Wengerâs Arsenal as a youth team coach.
In 2016, he took up an assistant coaching role with the Belgian national team before in 2018 accepting an offer to manage Monaco, the club that had given him his first opportunity as a player. Sacked a year later, his career on the touchline has been disappointing given the standards he had set while on the pitch.