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Thierry Henry
| Category: | Male Player |
| Year Inducted: | 2008 |
Profile by Robert Galvin, the author of Football's Greatest Heroes, the official book of the National Football Museum Hall of Fame:
Thierry Henry sustained a level of excellence over a longer period of time than any other player in the post-war era, in the view of both his fellow professionals and the journalists who cover the game for a living.
In 2003 and 2004, the Arsenal and France striker became the first individual to be voted footballer of the year in successive seasons by the football writers, a feat beyond past greats such as Stanley Matthews, Tom Finney and Bobby Charlton . ‘I always said that I wanted to make history,' Henry said. ‘Winning it twice in a row is unique. It is very special.' A third, record-breaking award followed in 2006. No-one had done that before. In one of those polls, he received an astonishing 90 per cent of the votes. At the time, Ars è ne Wenger said: ‘I would not swap Thierry for anyone in the world.'
His peers were equally impressed by his performances over those two campaigns, voting him PFA Player of the Year by huge margins. he PFA also honoured him , and also the PFA. Alan Shearer led the praise. ‘Thierry's technique is fantastic: he can score goals with either foot, he can run in behind you, he can come short, too. He takes people on, he can dribble and is simply superb. His record proves that he is so consistent. Some of his play has been simply breathtaking.'
A century of goals in the Premier League was achieved in his 160 th game, the second-fastest strike-rate since the competition began, behind only Shearer. It wasn't just a question of quantity. Many of Henry's goal linger in the memory. Here's a few:
The instep flick, swivel turn and volley into the opposite top corner against Manchester United. Wenger called this one ‘a goal from nothing'. Meanwhile, Dennis Bergkamp advised: ‘Go and check out that Henry goal: it's a very special effort. What a joy it is to have him at the club.'
Or the mesmerising individual run at pace, from half-way inside his own half, carrying the ball on an on, with defenders back-peddling desperately, before calmly steering a left-foot shot past the goalkeeper in the derby against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. ‘Immense,' said Teddy Sheringham, the Spurs forward, describing the goal.
Or how about the audacious back-heel, under intense pressure from his marker, against Charlton Athletic at Highbury? Not forgetting the virtuoso goals in the demolition of Internazionale and the famous victory over Real Madrid in the Champions League?
As Patrick Vieira once said: ‘Thierry is the best striker in the world because he can score the goals that make a difference.'
All this marked a remarkable turnaround from his uncertain early days in north London. Signed by Wenger, the man who nurtured his talent as a youngster during their time together at Monaco, from Juventus in August 1999, for a fee of £10.5 million, Henry struggled to settle in his new role for Arsenal as a central striker.
Wenger had long told his compatriot that he was wasting his time playing out wide on the wing, the position he occupied during his brief and disappointing stint in Italian football. ‘You're a natural goalscorer,' Wenger told him. Henry, who had not played up front for ten years, had his doubts. And, initially, it seemed they were well founded. ‘After one match, the manager told me that I had been rubbish and he was right.'
In addition to the change of role, Henry was also struggling to coming to terms with the physical side of English football. ‘A real battleground,' he called it. There was to be no respite even in training; his marker, Martin Keown, made sure of that. As it turned out, the craggy Arsenal defender was the one who helped Henry turn it round. When Real Madrid came to Highbury for Lee Dixon's testimonial, and Ian Wright , who had left the club by then, also agreed to play. Henry takes up the story: ‘I was sitting next to Martin that day and he asked me to watch Ian Wright , his runs and positioning. And I did. I also have the tape of his goals with Arsenal at home and I sometimes watch it for fun: 185 goals in 288 matches. Solid, very solid.'
Perhaps, in the circumstances, it was inevitable that Henry would eventually replace his guide in the record books as the club's leading all-time goalscorer. By the time, the Frenchman left for Barcelona, for a fee of £16 million, in 2007, he had registered 214 goals for the Gunners. ‘For someone who was initially convinced that he is not a typical goal-scorer, that is amazing. He provides so much to the team. That is why I never put him under any pressure when he is not scoring. There are a lot of players who suffer from selfishness in front of goal. But the complete player is the one who knows when he has to make the pass.'
Over the years, his performances over the years earned the respect and admiration of opposition fans. Toward the end of his time with Arsenal, Henry was playing in an away game against Portsmouth when the Pompey supporters began chanting his name in praise. ‘Playing away yet everybody is singing your name – amazing,' Henry said later. ‘That's why I wore the Portsmouth shirt at the end, to thank them.'
After the game, Wenger said: ‘Thierry is the best in the world. We are running out of words to describe him – and I prefer to watch him rather than talk about him.'