Thierry Henry

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Thierry Daniel Henry (Template:IPA Template:Respell; born 17 August 1977) is a French professional football coach, pundit, sports broadcaster and former player. He is considered one of the greatest strikers of all time and is often named as the greatest player in Premier League history when he played for Arsenal.<ref>

Henry made his professional debut with Monaco in 1994 before signing for defending Serie A champions Juventus. However, limited playing time, coupled with disagreements with the club's hierarchy, led to him signing for Premier League club Arsenal for £11 million in 1999. 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. Generally viewed as Arsenal's best ever player,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> he won the Premier League Golden Boot a record four times, won three FA Cups<ref name="auto1">Template:Cite web</ref> and two Premier League titles with the club, including one during an unbeaten Invincible season. Henry spent his final two seasons with Arsenal as club captain, leading them to the 2006 UEFA Champions League Final. Henry transferred to Barcelona in 2007 and in the 2008–09 season, he was a key part of the club's historic treble when they won La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the UEFA Champions League. In 2010, he joined Major League Soccer (MLS) club New York Red Bulls and returned to Arsenal on loan from January to February 2012, before retiring in 2014.

Henry had success with France, winning the 1998 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2000, and 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup. He was named French Player of the Year a record five times, named to the UEFA Euro 2000 Team of the Tournament, awarded both the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Ball and Golden Shoe, and named to the 2006 FIFA World Cup All-Star Team. In October 2007, he became his country's record goalscorer, a record he held until December 2022.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> After amassing 123 appearances and 51 goals, Henry retired from international football after the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

After retiring, Henry transitioned into coaching. He began coaching Arsenal's youth teams in February 2015, in tandem with his work as a pundit for Sky Sports. In 2016, he was appointed as an assistant coach at Belgium, before assuming the role as the head coach at 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 Montréal Impact. He led Montréal to the playoffs in the 2020 season before departing in 2021, returning to his role as an assistant coach for Belgium for a year and a half. From August 2023 to August 2024, Henry would serve as manager of the France national under-21 team and the France Olympic team at the 2024 Summer Games, leading the team to a silver medal, losing to Spain in the final.

Early life

Henry is of Antillean heritage:<ref name=jock>"Thierry Henry Bio" Template:Webarchive. JockBio. Retrieved 5 May 2008.</ref> his father, Antoine, is from Guadeloupe (La Désirade island), and his mother, Maryse, is from Martinique. He was born and raised in Les Ulis, a suburb of Paris that is sometimes seen as a tough neighbourhood despite its good footballing facilities.<ref name=tea>Anthony, Andrew (3 October 2004) "Thierry Henry, you're having a laugh" . The Observer. Retrieved 18 May 2008.</ref><ref>O'Connor, Ashling; Smith, Ben (19 November 2009) "Sponsors stand by Thierry Henry but fans call for boycott over handball" Template:Webarchive. The Times. Retrieved 10 December 2009.</ref> 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.<ref name=goal/> He joined US Palaiseau in 1989, but his father fell out with the club after a year, so Henry moved to ES Viry-Châtillon and played there for two years.<ref name=jock/> US Palaiseau coach Jean-Marie Panza, Henry's future mentor, followed him there.<ref name=tea/>

Club career

1992–1999: Beginnings at Monaco and transfer to Juventus

In 1990, Monaco sent scout Arnold Catalano to watch Henry, then at the age of 13, in a match.<ref name=factfile>"Thierry Henry returns: factfile" Template:Webarchive. The Independent (London). Retrieved 11 January 2012.</ref> Henry scored all six goals as his side won 6–0. Catalano asked him to join Monaco without even attending a trial first. Catalano requested that Henry complete a course at the elite INF Clairefontaine academy, and despite the director's reluctance to admit Henry due to his poor school results, he was allowed to complete the course and joined Arsène Wenger's Monaco as a youth player.<ref name=goal/> Subsequently, Henry signed professional forms with Monaco, and made his professional debut on 31 August 1994, in a 2–0 loss against Nice.<ref name=factfile/> Although Wenger suspected that Henry should be deployed as a striker, he put Henry on the left wing because he believed that his pace, natural ball control and skill would be more effective against full backs than centre-backs.<ref name=jock/>

After a tentative start to his Monaco career, Henry was named the French Young Footballer of the Year in 1996, and in the 1996–97 season, his solid performances helped the club win the Ligue 1 title.<ref name=goal/><ref name=data>"Henry". footballdatabase.com. Retrieved 23 December 2011.</ref> During the 1997–98 season, he was instrumental in leading his club to the UEFA Champions League semi-final, setting a French record, that was broken since, by scoring seven goals in the competition.<ref name=jock/><ref name=monacosemifinal>Template:Cite web</ref> By his third season, he had received his first cap for the national team, and was part of the winning team in the 1998 FIFA World Cup.<ref name=jock/> He continued to impress at his tenure with Monaco, and in his five seasons with the club, the young winger scored 20 league goals in 105 appearances.<ref name=data/>

Henry left Monaco in January 1999, one year before his intimate and closest teammate David Trezeguet, and moved to Italian club Juventus for £10.5 million.<ref name=goal/> He played on the wing,<ref name=henryadapt>Template:Cite web</ref> as well as at wing back and wide midfield, but he was ineffective as a goal scorer, struggling against the defensive discipline exhibited by teams in Serie A, registering just three goals in 16 appearances.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2019, on Jamie Carragher's podcast The Greatest Game, Henry attributed disagreements with Juve director Luciano Moggi as his rationale behind departing the club.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

1999–2007: Move to Arsenal, breakthrough, and success

Henry was made captain following the departure of fellow Frenchman Patrick Vieira to Juventus in 2005.

Unsettled in Italy, Henry transferred from Juventus on 3 August 1999 to Arsenal for an estimated fee of £11 million, reuniting with his former manager Arsène Wenger.<ref>"Henry joins Arsenal in record deal" . BBC Sport. 3 August 1999. Retrieved 10 January 2011.</ref><ref>Harris, Nick (4 August 1999) "Henry adds to Arsenal's firepower" Template:Webarchive. The Independent. Retrieved 3 January 2011.</ref> It was at Arsenal that Henry made his name as a world-class footballer,<ref name=fp>"Ronaldinho wins Fifa player award" . BBC Sport. 20 December 2004. Retrieved 1 January 2012.</ref> and although his transfer was not without controversy, Wenger was convinced he was worth the transfer fee.<ref name=jock/> Brought in as a replacement for fellow French forward Nicolas Anelka, Henry was immediately moulded into a striker by Wenger, a move that would pay rich dividends in years to come. However, doubts were raised about his ability to adapt to the quick and physical English game when he failed to score in his first eight games.<ref name="tea"/> After several difficult months in England, Henry even conceded that he had to "be re-taught everything about the art of striking."<ref name=tea/> These doubts were dispelled when he ended his first season at Arsenal with an impressive goal tally of 26.<ref>"Games played by Thierry Henry in 1999–2000" Template:Webarchive. Soccerbase. Retrieved 25 March 2007.</ref> Arsenal finished second in the Premier League behind Manchester United, and lost in the UEFA Cup Final against Galatasaray.<ref name=jock/>

Coming off the back of a victorious UEFA Euro 2000 campaign with the national team, Henry was ready to make an impact in the 2000–01 season. Despite recording fewer goals and assists than his first season, Henry's second season with Arsenal proved to be a breakthrough, as he became the club's top goalscorer. His goal tally included a spectacular strike against Manchester United where he flicked the ball up (with his back turned to goal), before he swivelled and volleyed in from 20 yards out.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The strike also featured a memorable goal celebration where he recreated the Budweiser "Whassup?" advertisement.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Armed with one of the league's best attacks, Arsenal finished runner-up to perennial rivals Manchester United in the Premier League. The team also reached the final of the FA Cup, losing 2–1 to Liverpool. Henry remained frustrated, however, by the fact that he had yet to help the club win honours, and frequently expressed his desire to establish Arsenal as a powerhouse.<ref name=jock/>

Success finally arrived during the 2001–02 season. Arsenal finished seven points above Liverpool to win the Premier League title, and defeated Chelsea 2–0 in the FA Cup Final.<ref name=jock/> Henry became the league's top goalscorer and netted 32 goals in all competitions as he led Arsenal to a double and his first silverware with the club.<ref name=goal/><ref name=socpro>"Thierry Henry" Template:Webarchive. ESPN Soccernet. Retrieved 30 September 2007.</ref> There was much expectation that Henry would replicate his club form for France during the 2002 FIFA World Cup, but the defending champions suffered a shock exit at the group stage.<ref name=jock/>

2002–03 proved to be another productive season for Henry, as he scored 32 goals in all competitions while contributing 23 assists—remarkable returns for a striker.<ref name=socpro/> In doing so, he led Arsenal to another FA Cup triumph (where he was man-of-the-match in the Final),<ref>"Gunners take home Cup" Template:Webarchive. The Football Association. 17 May 2003. Retrieved 13 February 2011.</ref> although Arsenal failed to retain their Premier League title.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Throughout the season, he competed with Manchester United's Ruud van Nistelrooy for the league scoring title, but the Dutchman edged Henry to the Golden Boot by a single goal.<ref name=jock/> Nonetheless, Henry was named both the PFA Players' Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year.<ref name=giveme>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=kk/> His rising status as one of the world's best footballers was affirmed when he emerged runner-up for the 2003 FIFA World Player of the Year award.<ref name=fp/> With 24 goals and 20 assists in the league, Henry set a new record for most assists in a single Premier League season,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and also became the first player in history to record at least 20 goals and 20 assists in a single season in one of Europe's top–five leagues—this feat has since been matched by Lionel Messi in 2020.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Henry in a Premier League game against Charlton Athletic at Highbury in March 2006

Entering the 2003–04 season, Arsenal were determined to reclaim the Premier League crown. Henry was again instrumental in Arsenal's exceptionally successful campaign; together with the likes of Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Vieira, Freddie Ljungberg and Robert Pires, Henry ensured that the Gunners became the first team in more than a century to go through the entire domestic league season unbeaten, claiming the league title in the process.<ref>Hughes, Ian (15 May 2004) "Arsenal the Invincibles" . BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 January 2012.</ref> Apart from being named for the second year running as the PFA Players' Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year,<ref name=giveme/><ref name=kk/> Henry emerged once again as the runner-up for 2004 FIFA World Player of the Year award.<ref name=fp/> With 39 goals scored in all competitions, the Frenchman led the league in goals scored and won the European Golden Boot.<ref name=goal/><ref name = gill/> However, as was the case in 2002, Henry was unable to lead the national side to honours during UEFA Euro 2004.<ref name=jock/>

This dip in success was compounded when Arsenal failed again to secure back-to-back league titles when they lost out to Chelsea in the 2004–05 season, although Arsenal did win the FA Cup (the Final of which Henry missed through injury).<ref name=data/> Henry maintained his reputation as one of Europe's most feared strikers as he led the league in scoring,<ref name=goal/> and with 31 goals in all competitions,<ref>"Games played by Thierry Henry in 2004/2005" Template:Webarchive. Soccerbase. Retrieved 23 February 2014.</ref> he was the co-recipient (with Diego Forlán) of the European Golden Boot, becoming the first player to officially win the award twice in a row (Ally McCoist had won two Golden Boots in a row, but both were deemed unofficial).<ref name=gill/> The unexpected departure of Arsenal's captain Patrick Vieira in the 2005 close season led to Henry being awarded club captaincy, a role which many felt was not naturally suited for him; the captaincy is more commonly given to defenders or midfielders, who are better-placed on the pitch to read the game.<ref name=goal/> Along with being chief goalscorer, he was responsible for leading a very young team which had yet to gel fully.<ref name=young>Lowe, Sid (22 February 2006) "Wenger hopes Henry will stay and usher in new era" . The Guardian. Retrieved 26 March 2007.</ref>

The 2005–06 season proved to be one of remarkable personal achievements for Henry. On 17 October 2005, Henry became the club's top goalscorer of all time;<ref name=recordbreaker>Winter, Henry (22 October 2005) "Record-breaking Henry still a master of humility" Template:Webarchive. The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 23 February 2014.</ref> two goals against Sparta Prague in the Champions League meant he broke Ian Wright's record of 185 goals.<ref>"Thierry Henry eases to scoring record" Template:Webarchive. China Daily. 22 October 2005. Retrieved 22 March 2007.</ref> On 1 February 2006, he scored a goal against West Ham United, bringing his league goal tally up to 151, breaking Arsenal legend Cliff Bastin's league goals record.<ref>"Arsenal 2–3 West Ham" . BBC Sport. 1 February 2006. Retrieved 1 January 2012.</ref> Henry scored his 100th league goal at Highbury, a feat unparalleled in the history of the club, and a unique achievement in the Premier League.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On the final day of the Premier League season, Henry scored a hat-trick against Wigan Athletic in the last match played at Highbury. He completed the season as the league's top goalscorer,<ref name=goal/> was voted the FWA Footballer of the Year for the third time in his career, and was selected in the FIFA World XI.<ref name=data/><ref>Template:Cite web FIFPro. Retrieved 24 August 2014</ref>

After the retirement of Dennis Bergkamp, Henry regularly partnered Robin van Persie in the Arsenal attack.

Nevertheless, Arsenal failed to win the Premier League title again, but hopes of a trophy were revived when Arsenal reached the 2006 UEFA Champions League Final. The Gunners eventually lost 2–1 to Barcelona, with Henry assisting the team's only goal from a free kick, and Arsenal's inability to win the league title for two consecutive seasons combined with the relative inexperience of the Arsenal squad caused much speculation that Henry would leave for another club. However, he declared his love for the club and accepted a four-year contract, and said he would stay at Arsenal for life.<ref name=kk>"Henry to stay a Gunner until 2010" . BBC Sport. 19 May 2006. Retrieved 1 January 2012.</ref><ref name="BBC2006">Template:Cite web</ref> Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein later claimed the club had turned down two bids of £50 million from Spanish clubs for Henry before the signing of the new contract.<ref name=zz>"Arsenal rejected 50 million-pound bids for Henry, says Dein" Template:Webarchive. China Daily. 22 May 2006. Retrieved 26 March 2007.</ref> Had the transfer materialised, it would have surpassed the then-world record £47 million paid for Zinedine Zidane.<ref name=zz/>

Henry's 2006–07 season was marred by injuries.<ref name=inj>"Wenger: Henry staying with Gunners" Template:Webarchive. ESPN Soccernet. 6 April 2007. Retrieved 7 April 2007.</ref> Although he scored 10 goals in 17 domestic appearances for Arsenal, Henry's season was cut short in February. Having missed games due to hamstring, foot, and back problems, he was deemed fit enough to come on as a late substitute against PSV in a Champions League match,<ref name=HenryHid> Clarke, Richard (7 March 2007) "Wenger – The hidden benefits of having Henry" Template:Webarchive. Arsenal F.C. 7 March 2007. Retrieved 23 February 2014. </ref> but began limping shortly after coming on. Scans the next day revealed that he would need at least three months to heal from new groin and stomach injuries, missing the rest of the 2006–07 season.<ref name=HenryOut> Clarke, Richard (8 March 2007) "Henry ruled out for the remainder of season" Template:Webarchive. Arsenal F.C. 8 March 2007. Retrieved 31 May 2011. </ref> Wenger attributed Henry's injuries to a protracted 2005–06 campaign, and reiterated that Henry was keen on staying with the Gunners to rebuild for the 2007–08 season.<ref name=inj/>

2007–2010: Barcelona and a historic treble

Henry playing for Barcelona in 2008

On 25 June 2007, in an unexpected turn of events, Henry was transferred to Barcelona for €24 million. He signed a four-year deal for a reported €6.8 (£4.6) million per season.<ref> "Thierry Henry signs for Barcelona" Template:Webarchive. The Nation. 23 June 2007. Retrieved 22 July 2007. </ref> It was revealed that the contract included a release clause of €125 (£84.9) million.<ref>"Henry seals deal with Barcelona" Template:Webarchive. Daily Express. 25 June 2007. Retrieved 28 June 2007.</ref> Henry cited the departure of Dein and continued uncertainty over Wenger's future as reasons for leaving,<ref>"Arsenal announce Henry departure" . BBC Sport. 23 June 2007. Retrieved 1 January 2012.</ref> and maintained that "I always said that if I ever left Arsenal it would be to play for Barcelona."<ref>"Henry hoping Wenger remains Gunners' boss" Template:Webarchive. ESPN Soccernet. 26 June 2007. Retrieved 15 October 2007.</ref> Despite their captain's departure, Arsenal got off to an impressive start for the 2007–08 campaign, and Henry said that his presence in the team might have been more of a hindrance than a help. He stated, "Because of my seniority, the fact that I was captain and my habit of screaming for the ball, they would sometimes give it to me even when I was not in the best position. So in that sense it was good for the team that I moved on."<ref name=plat>"Fabregas was right about me, says Henry" Template:Webarchive ESPN Soccernet. 14 October 2007. Retrieved 15 October 2007.</ref> Henry left Arsenal as the club's leading all-time league goalscorer with 174 goals and leading all-time goalscorer in European competitions with 42 goals;<ref name=goal/> in July 2008, Arsenal fans voted him as Arsenal's greatest player ever in Arsenal.com's Gunners' Greatest 50 Players poll.<ref name=ArsenalGreatest> "Gunners' Greatest Players – 1. Thierry Henry" Template:Webarchive. Arsenal F.C. Retrieved 2 March 2011. </ref>

At Barcelona, Henry was given the number 14 jersey, the same as he had worn at Arsenal. He scored his first goal for his new club on 19 September 2007 in a 3–0 Champions League group stage win over Lyon,<ref>"Thierry Henry scores as Barcelona take charge" Template:Webarchive. The Daily Telegraph. 20 September 2007. Retrieved 23 February 2014.</ref> and he recorded his first hat-trick for Barça in a Primera División match against Levante ten days later.<ref> "Levante 1–4 Barcelona" Template:Webarchive. ESPN Soccernet. 29 September 2007. Retrieved 23 February 2014 </ref> But with Henry mostly deployed on the wing throughout the season, he was unable to reproduce the goal-scoring form he achieved with Arsenal. He expressed dissatisfaction with the move to Barcelona in the initial year, amidst widespread speculation of a return to the Premier League. In an interview with Garth Crooks on BBC's Football Focus, Henry described missing life "back home" and even "the English press."<ref>"Thierry Henry Interview – Football Focus – 26 April 2008 – BBC" Template:Webarchive, YouTube. Retrieved 13 April 2009.</ref> However, Henry concluded his debut season as the club's top scorer with 19 goals in addition to nine league assists, second behind Lionel Messi's ten.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

Henry playing for Barcelona in a UEFA Champions League game during the 2008–09 season

Henry went on to surpass this tally in a more integrated 2008–09 campaign, with 26 goals and 10 assists from the left wing.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He won the first trophy of his Barcelona career on 13 May 2009 when Barcelona defeated Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey final. Barcelona won the Primera División and UEFA Champions League soon after, completing a treble for the Frenchman, who had combined with Messi and Samuel Eto'o to score 100 goals between them that season.<ref> "Lionel Messi Excelled In The Least Successful Barcelona Under Guardiola" Template:Webarchive. ESPN. Retrieved 24 August 2014 </ref> The trio was also the most prolific trio in Spanish league history, scoring 72 goals and surpassing the 66 goals of Real Madrid's Ferenc Puskás, Alfredo Di Stéfano and Luis del Sol of the 1960–61 season (this was later surpassed by Real Madrid trio Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuaín who scored 89 goals in 2011–12).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Later in 2009, Henry helped Barcelona win an unprecedented sextuple, consisting of the aforementioned treble, the Supercopa de España, the UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup.<ref>"The year in pictures". FIFA. 23 December 2009. Retrieved 12 March 2010.</ref>

The following season, the emergence of Pedro meant that Henry only started 15 league games.<ref name=socpro/> Before the La Liga season ended, and with a year still left on his contract, club president Joan Laporta stated on 5 May 2010 that Henry "may go away in the summer transfer window if that's what he wants."<ref>"Barcelona happy for Henry to leave" Template:Webarchive. The Independent. 5 May 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2010.</ref> After Henry returned from the 2010 World Cup, Barcelona confirmed that they had agreed to the sale of Henry to an unnamed club, with the player still to agree terms with the new club.<ref>"Henry and Toure to leave Barcelona" Template:Webarchive. Reuters. 28 June 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2010.</ref>

2010–2014: New York Red Bulls and retirement

Henry playing for the New York Red Bulls in 2011

In July 2010, Henry signed a multi-year contract with Major League Soccer (MLS) club New York Red Bulls for the 2010 season as its second designated player.<ref>"New York Red Bulls sign international star Thierry Henry" Template:Webarchive. New York Red Bulls. 13 July 2010. Retrieved 15 July 2010.</ref> He made his full MLS debut on 31 July in a 2–2 draw against Houston Dynamo, assisting both goals to Juan Pablo Ángel. His first MLS goal came on 28 August in a 2–0 victory against San Jose Earthquakes. The Red Bulls eventually topped the MLS Eastern Conference by one point over Columbus Crew<ref>"Standings" Template:Webarchive. Major League Soccer. Retrieved 26 December 2011.</ref> before losing 3–2 on aggregate against San Jose Earthquakes in the quarter-finals of the 2010 MLS Cup Playoffs.<ref> "Earthquakes advance" Template:Webarchive. ESPN Soccernet. 5 November 2010. Retrieved 23 February 2014. </ref> The next season, the Red Bulls were 10th overall in the league,<ref>"2011 MLS Standings & Leaders" Template:Webarchive. Major League Soccer. Retrieved 27 December 2011.</ref> and bowed out in the Conference semi-finals of the 2011 MLS Cup Playoffs.<ref>2011 MLS Cup "Playoffs" Template:Webarchive. Major League Soccer. Retrieved 26 December 2011.</ref> By 2011, Henry had a non-contractual sponsorship agreement with Dietrich Mateschitz's Red Bull GmbH, and was claimed by the company as a member of the Red Bull "family".<ref>Template:Citation</ref>

Return to Arsenal (loan)

After training with Arsenal during the MLS off-season, Henry re-signed for the club on a two-month loan deal on 6 January 2012. This was to provide cover for Gervinho and Marouane Chamakh, who were unavailable due to their participation in the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.<ref>"Thierry Henry joins Arsenal from New York Red Bulls" . BBC Sport. 6 January 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2012.</ref> Henry was given the number 12 jersey – his old Arsenal number 14 jersey, the same number he wore at Barcelona and New York, was unavailable, with Theo Walcott inheriting it following Henry's departure from the club in 2007.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Henry made his second Arsenal debut as a substitute against Leeds United in the FA Cup third round and scored the only goal.<ref>McNulty, Phil (9 January 2012) "Arsenal 1–0 Leeds" . BBC Sport. Retrieved 10 January 2012.</ref> In his last league game on loan, he scored the winning goal in stoppage time in a 2–1 win against Sunderland.<ref>"Thierry Henry open to third Arsenal spell – if asked" . BBC Sport. 11 February 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2012.</ref> His final goals for the club meant he finished his Arsenal career with a record 228 goals; 175 of them came in the Premier League.

Return to New York Red Bulls

Henry signing autographs in February 2014

On 17 February 2012, Henry returned to Red Bulls to prepare for the 2012 season. His base salary of $5 million ($5.6 million guaranteed) made him the highest-paid player in MLS—surpassing David Beckham, who had taken a salary cut for his last year with the Los Angeles Galaxy.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2013, Henry's base salary dropped to $3.75 million setting him behind Robbie Keane's $4 million base salary. With bonuses, however, Henry remained the highest-paid player with $4.35 million compared to Keane's $4.33 million.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On 31 March 2012, Henry scored his first MLS hat-trick in a 5–2 Red Bulls win over the Montreal Impact.<ref>"Henry records hat trick as Red Bulls top Impact" Template:Webarchive. Major League Soccer. Retrieved 3 April 2012.</ref> He was named MLS Player of the Month that same month. On 27 October 2013, Henry scored once and provided two assists in the last game of the season against the Chicago Fire at Red Bull Arena to help his team win 5–2 and become champions of the regular season. It was the club's first major trophy in their 17-year history.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On 12 July 2014, Henry provided a goal and three assists in a 4–1 Red Bulls win over the Columbus Crew. With that effort he became the all-time assist leader for the New York Red Bulls with 37, surpassing Amado Guevara and Tab Ramos.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On 1 December 2014, it was announced that Henry had left the Red Bulls after four and a half years at the club.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 16 December, he announced his retirement as a player and stated that he would begin working for Sky Sports as a pundit.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> After working at Sky for over three years, Henry quit his position in July 2018 to focus on his career as a coach.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

International career

Template:See also Henry enjoyed a successful career with the France national team, winning the first of his 123 caps in June 1997, when his good form for Monaco was rewarded with a call-up to the Under-20 French national team, where he played in the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship alongside future teammates William Gallas and David Trezeguet.<ref name=goal/> Within four months, France head coach Aimé Jacquet called Henry up to the senior team. The 20-year-old made his senior international debut on 11 October 1997 in a 2–1 win against South Africa.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Jacquet was so impressed with Henry that he took him to the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Although Henry was a largely unknown quantity at international level, he ended the tournament as France's top scorer with three goals.<ref name=uni>"2006 FIFA World Cup – Thierry Henry, top scorer and role model" Template:Webarchive. UNICEF. Retrieved 26 March 2007.</ref> He was scheduled to appear as a substitute in the final, where France beat Brazil 3–0, but Marcel Desailly's sending off forced a defensive change instead. In 1998, he was made a Knight of the Legion of Honour, France's highest decoration.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Henry was a member of France's UEFA Euro 2000 squad, again scoring three goals in the tournament, including the equaliser against Portugal in the semi-final, and finishing as the country's top scorer.<ref>"France 2–1 Portugal" Template:Webarchive. Soccerway.com. 28 June 2000. Retrieved 16 October 2020.</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> France later won the game in extra time following a converted penalty kick by Zinedine Zidane. France went on to defeat Italy in extra-time in the final, earning Henry his second major international medal.<ref>"France 2–1 Italy". UEFA. 2 July 2000. Retrieved 23 March 2007.</ref> During the tournament, Henry was voted man of the match in three games, including the final against Italy.<ref>"Thierry Henry" Template:Webarchive. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 9 July 2009.</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Henry playing for France against Italy during the 2006 FIFA World Cup Final. He wore number 12 for France, the same number as his idol Marco van Basten.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The 2002 FIFA World Cup featured a stunning 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.<ref name=goal/> France lost against Senegal in their first group match and Henry was red carded for a dangerous sliding challenge in their next match against Uruguay.<ref name=jock/> In that game, France played to a 0–0 draw, but Henry was forced to miss the final group match due to suspension; France lost 2–0 to Denmark.<ref name=jock/>

Henry returned to form for his country at the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup. Despite playing without team stalwarts Zidane and Patrick Vieira, France won, in large part owing to Henry's outstanding play, for which he was named Man of the Match by FIFA's Technical Study Group in three of France's five matches.<ref name=goal/> In the final, he scored the golden goal in extra time to lift the title for the host country after a 1–0 victory over Cameroon.<ref name=goal/> Henry was awarded both the Adidas Golden Ball as the outstanding player of the competition and the Adidas Golden Shoe as the tournament's top goalscorer with four goals.<ref name=goal/>

In UEFA Euro 2004, Henry played in all of France's matches and scored two goals.<ref name=data/> France beat England in the group stage but lost to the eventual winners Greece 1–0 in the quarter-finals.<ref>"France 0–1 Greece" . BBC Sport. 25 June 2004. Retrieved 1 January 2012.</ref> During the 2006 FIFA World Cup Henry remained as one of the automatic starters in the squad. He played as a lone striker, but despite an indifferent start to the tournament, became one of the top players of the World Cup. He scored three goals, including the winning goal from Zidane's free kick against defending champions Brazil in the quarter-final.<ref name=goal/> However, France subsequently lost to Italy on penalties (5–3) in the final. Henry did not take part in the penalty shoot-out, having been substituted in extra time after his legs had cramped.<ref>Stevenson, Jonathan (9 July 2006) "Italy 1–1 France (aet)" . BBC Sport. 9 July 2006. Retrieved 1 January 2012.</ref> Henry was one of ten nominees for the Golden Ball award for Player of the Tournament, an award which was ultimately presented to his teammate, Zidane<ref>"Sent-off Zidane named best player" . BBC Sport. 10 July 2006. Retrieved 1 January 2012.</ref> and was named a starting striker on the 2006 FIFPro World XI team.<ref>"Ronaldinho regains FifPro crown" . BBC Sport. 6 November 2006. Retrieved 1 January 2012.</ref>

Henry (in blue, fourth from right) enters the field with France in their Euro 2008 game against the Netherlands.

On 13 October 2007, Henry scored his 41st goal against the Faroe Islands, joining Michel Platini as the country's top goalscorer of all time.<ref name="plat"/> Four days later at the Stade de la Beaujoire, he scored a late double against Lithuania, thereby setting a new record as France's top goalscorer.<ref> "France 2–0 Lithuania: Henry smashes Platini record". ESPN Soccernet. 17 October 2007. Retrieved 24 February 2014. </ref> On 3 June 2008, Henry made his 100th appearance for the national team in a match against Colombia, becoming the sixth French player ever to reach that milestone.<ref>"Henry reaches 100-cap milestone" . BBC Sport. 3 June 2008. Retrieved 1 January 2012.</ref>

Henry missed the opening game of France's short-lived UEFA Euro 2008 campaign, where they were eliminated in the group stages after being drawn in the same group as Italy, the Netherlands and Romania.<ref> "France 0–2 Italy: World champs dispose of French". ESPN Soccernet. 17 June 2008. Retrieved 24 February 2014. </ref> He scored France's only goal in the competition in a 4–1 loss to the Netherlands.<ref>"France Team Page" Template:Webarchive. ESPN Soccernet. Retrieved 22 June 2008.</ref>

The French team struggled during the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers and finished second in their group behind Serbia. During the play-offs against the Republic of Ireland, Henry was involved in a controversy in the second leg of the game at the Stade de France on 18 November 2009. With the aggregate score tied at 1–1 and the game in extra time, he used his hand twice to control the ball before delivering a cross to William Gallas who scored the winner.<ref>"Villain Henry as Ireland, Ukraine, Russia exit in play-offs" Template:Webarchive. ESPN Soccernet. 18 November 2009. Retrieved 19 November 2009.</ref> This sparked a barrage of criticism against the Frenchman, while national team coach Raymond Domenech and Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger defended him.<ref>"Defiant Domenech condemns Henry backlash" Template:Webarchive. ESPN Soccernet. 24 November 2009. Retrieved 10 December 2009.</ref><ref>Ley, John (20 November 2009) "Arsene Wenger urges France to replay World Cup match after Thierry Henry handball" Template:Webarchive. The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 10 December 2009.</ref> The Football Association of Ireland lodged a formal complaint with FIFA, seeking a replay of the game, which FIFA declined.<ref>"Defiant Domenech condemns Henry backlash" Template:Webarchive. ESPN Soccernet. 24 November 2009. Retrieved 26 November 2009.</ref> Henry said that he contemplated retiring from international football after the reactions to the incident, but maintained that he was not a "cheat"; hours after FIFA had ruled out a replay, he stated that "the fairest solution would be to replay the game".<ref>"Thierry Henry: Replay the "fairest solution" for Ireland" Template:Webarchive. ESPN Soccernet. 20 November 2009. Retrieved 26 November 2009.</ref> FIFA President Sepp Blatter described the incident as "blatant unfair play" and announced an inquiry into how such incidents could be avoided in future, and added that the incident would be investigated by the Disciplinary Committee.<ref>Ziegler, Martyn (3 December 2009) "Henry's 'blatant unfair play' could lead to ban in South Africa". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 9 December 2009.</ref> Blatter also said Henry told him that his family had been threatened in the aftermath of the incident.<ref>Eason, Kevin (1 December 2009) "Henry consoled after death threats to family" . Herald Express. 1 December 2009. Retrieved 9 December 2009.</ref> In January 2010, FIFA announced that there was no legal basis to sanction Henry.<ref>"FIFA not to take any action against Henry handball" Template:Webarchive. ESPN Soccernet. 18 January 2010. Retrieved 20 January 2010.</ref>

Henry did not feature in the starting line-up for France at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. France drew in their first game against Uruguay, and lost 2–0 in their second against Mexico. The team was thrown into disarray when Nicolas Anelka was expelled from the team, and captain Patrice Evra led a team protest by refusing to train.<ref>"Domenech: Player protest was 'stupid'" Template:Webarchive. ESPN Soccernet. 21 June 2010. Retrieved 23 June 2010.</ref> In the final group game against host-nation South Africa in which Henry came on as a second-half substitute, France lost 2–1 and were eliminated from the tournament. He then announced his retirement from international football, having won 123 caps and scored 51 goals for Les Bleus, thus finishing his international career as France's all-time top scorer, and second most capped player after Lilian Thuram.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Style of play

Henry attacking for the MLS All Stars in 2013

Although Henry played up front as a striker during his youth,<ref name=tea/> he spent his time at Monaco and Juventus playing on the wing. When Henry joined Arsenal in 1999, Wenger immediately changed this, switching Henry to his childhood position, often pairing him with Dutch veteran Dennis Bergkamp.<ref name=henryadapt/> During the 2004–05 season, Wenger switched Arsenal's formation to 4–5–1.<ref name="fourfiveone">Template:Cite news</ref> This change forced Henry to adapt again to fit into the Arsenal team, and he played many games as a lone striker.<ref name=henryadapt/> Still, Henry remained Arsenal's main offensive threat, on many occasions conjuring spectacular goals. Wenger said of his fellow Frenchman: "Thierry Henry could take the ball in the middle of the park and score a goal that no one else in the world could score".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

One of the reasons cited for Henry's impressive play up front is his ability to calmly score from one-on-ones.<ref>Reyna, Claudio, and Woitalla, Mike, More Than Goals: The Journey from Backyard Games to World Cup Competition (2004), p 122, Human Kinetics, Template:ISBN</ref> According to his father Antoine, Henry learned precision shooting from watching his idol Marco van Basten.<ref name="tea"/> He was also influenced by Romário, Ronaldo and Liberian star George Weah, a new breed of strikers in the 1990s who would also operate outside the penalty area before running with the ball towards goal.<ref> "Ronaldo, Romario Reinvented Striker's Role, Says Thierry Henry" Template:Webarchive. In Sports. Retrieved 16 January 2015 </ref> At his physical peak from the late 1990s to the mid-2000s, Henry's ability to dribble past opponents with exceptional pace, skill and composure, meant that he could get in behind defenders regularly enough to score.<ref name=tea/><ref>Hansen, Alan (13 March 2006) Alan Hansen's column" . BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 January 2012.</ref> In 2004, former Arsenal striker Alan Smith commented on Henry: "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."<ref name="tea"/>

Henry taking on Manchester United defender John O'Shea. In his prime, Henry would often drift out to the left wing position and run towards goal.<ref name="Jacob"/>

When up front, Henry is occasionally known to move out wide to the left wing position,<ref name="Jacob">Daniel, Jacob, The Complete Guide to Coaching Soccer Systems and Tactics (2003), Reedswain, p 190, Template:ISBN</ref><ref name=wing>"Papin: attack at the double" . BBC Sport. 12 April 2002. Retrieved 1 January 2012.</ref> something which enables him to contribute heavily in assists: between 2002–03 and 2004–05, the striker managed almost 50 assists in total and this was attributed to his unselfish play and creativity.<ref name=recordbreaker/> Ranking Henry the greatest player in Premier League history, in February 2020 FourFourTwo magazine stated, "No one assisted more in a season. No one has terrorised defenders with such a combination of bewitching grace and phenomenal power."<ref name="Greatest FF2">Template:Cite news</ref>

Coming in from the left, Henry's trademark finish saw him place the ball inside the far right corner of the goal.<ref>"Strikers' trademark goals: the Thierry Henry control-and-place, the Romario toe-poke and more" Template:Webarchive. The Telegraph. Retrieved 5 December 2013</ref> Henry would also drift offside to fool the defence then run back onside before the ball is played and beat the offside trap, although he never provided Arsenal a distinct aerial threat.<ref name=GoalHenry>""English Debate: Can Arsenal Lift Major Silverware This Campaign?" Template:Webarchive. Goal.com. 22 September 2008. Retrieved 24 February 2014.</ref> Given his versatility in being able to operate as both a winger and a striker, the Frenchman is not a prototypical "out-and-out striker", but he has emerged consistently as one of Europe's most prolific strikers.<ref name=jock/> In set pieces, Henry was the first-choice penalty and free kick taker for Arsenal, scoring regularly from those situations.<ref name=splife>"Henry ready to get ugly". Sporting Life. 28 August 2003. Retrieved 30 October 2007.</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Henry was also a notable exponent of a no-look pass where he would feint to pass the ball with his right foot, but would make contact with the ball using his standing foot (his left).<ref name="charity match">Template:Cite news</ref>

Managerial career

Arsenal youth

Henry as coach of Arsenal under 19s in September 2015

Henry began coaching Arsenal's youth teams in February 2015, in tandem with his work for Sky Sports.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> His influence on the team was praised by players such as Alex Iwobi, who dedicated a goal against Bayern Munich in the 2015–16 UEFA Youth League to his advice.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Having earned a UEFA A Licence, he was offered the job of under-18 coach by Academy head Andries Jonker, but the decision was overruled by Wenger, who wanted a full-time coach for the team.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

Belgium (assistant)

In August 2016, Henry became second assistant coach of the Belgium national team, working alongside head coach Roberto Martínez and fellow assistant Graeme Jones.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In an interview with NBC Sports, Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku praised Henry for his work with him, stating, "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 for me is the best. Every day whether it is positive and negative I take it in my stride because I know what is expected from the top level."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Belgium reached the semi-final, but lost to Henry's home nation France 1–0.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Henry picked up a Bronze medal after Belgium defeated England 2–0 in the third-place play-off to secure their best ever World Cup finish.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Henry was reportedly offered the position of head coach by Bordeaux in August 2018.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> However, he declined the offer after disagreements with the club's owners.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Days after turning down the Bordeaux job, and following Jones's departure from the Belgium national team, Henry, who had been the forwards coach, was promoted to Belgium assistant coach.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> However, his tenure in the role was short-lived, after he accepted the role as head coach at former club Monaco in October.<ref name="Appointed"/>

Monaco

On 11 October 2018, Monaco dismissed Leonardo Jardim as club manager.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Jardim's position had become untenable after struggling heavily in domestic competition, with the club 18th at the time of his departure, and disputes over the club's transfer policy.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Monaco's search for a new coach coincided with the regulatory mid-season international break, allowing the club sufficient time to search for a replacement, however, they quickly decided on Henry, and he was appointed a mere two days later.<ref name="Appointed">Template:Cite news</ref> He signed a three-year deal, and was unveiled as Monaco manager on 18 October. At his first press conference, he told reporters: "This club will always have a big place in my heart, so to be able to come here and start again, it is a dream come true. There is a lot of work to do, as you can imagine – but I am more than happy to be here".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Henry's arrival at Monaco was greeted with mixed reactions by some media outlets, due to his relative inexperience as a top-level coach and the task of overturning Monaco's misfortunes. Despite inheriting a squad of sub-standard quality,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Henry expressed a desire of replicating the football he played under Pep Guardiola at Barcelona, as well as instilling the "professionalism" taught to him by Arsène Wenger.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Henry also adopted a hands-on approach to training sessions, being regularly involved in devising schemes and instructing drills.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His first match was a 2–1 away defeat against Strasbourg on 20 October.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was unable to secure a win for over a month, enduring a period which included two high-profile defeats against Club Brugge<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Paris Saint-Germain,<ref>“AS Monaco 0 – 4 PSG” Template:Webarchive. Ligue1.com. Retrieved 22 June 2019</ref> prior to defeating Caen on 1–0 on 25 November.<ref>“Caen 0 – 1 AS Monaco“ Template:Webarchive. Ligue1.com. Retrieved 22 June 2019</ref> He secured two wins in December, defeating Amiens in the league and Lorient in the Coupe de la Ligue, however, this was on the backdrop of three additional Ligue 1 defeats to close 2018 in the relegation zone.<ref>“Amiens SC 0 – 2 AS Monaco” Template:Webarchive. Ligue1.com. Retrieved 22 June 2019</ref><ref>“AS Monaco 1 – 0 FC Lorient“ Template:Webarchive. Ligue1.com. Retrieved 22 June 2019</ref>

In January 2019, Henry entered the winter transfer window, where he signed left-back Fodé Ballo-Touré, and former Arsenal teammate Cesc Fàbregas from Chelsea. He also sanctioned the loan signing of French defensive midfielder William Vainqueur on 12 January, and experienced defender Naldo. However, these signings would not turn around the club's fate, and on 24 January, Henry was dismissed at Monaco. The club were 19th at the time of his departure, and Henry left with a record of 4 wins, 5 draws, and 11 defeats, from 20 games in charge.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Montreal Impact

On 14 November 2019, Henry became manager of Major League Soccer side Montreal Impact, signing a two-year deal until the end of the 2021 season with an option to extend it by a year until the 2022 season.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In his first press conference, Henry stated he had to "confront" the relative disappointment of his short stint as manager of Monaco, before undertaking a new job.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

After leading Montreal to their first playoff berth in four seasons, on 25 February 2021, prior to the 2021 season, Henry stepped down as head coach of the renamed CF Montréal to be closer to his children in London. He had not been able to see them in the 2020 season due to travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, and with restrictions continuing into the 2021 season, he decided to end the separation.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Return to Belgium (assistant)

In May 2021, Henry rejoined the coaching staff of Belgium prior to UEFA Euro 2020.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was also in the team's coaching staff for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. In February 2023, upon the appointment of Domenico Tedesco as Belgium's new head coach, Royal Belgian Football Association CEO Peter Bossaert announced that Henry would not be returning to the national team's coaching staff.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Henry was considered as being one of potential replacements for Corinne Diacre who got fired as France women's national team head coach, but he rejected the approach.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

France U21 and Olympic

On 21 August 2023, Henry was named as the new manager of the France national under-21 team, meaning that he would also coach the France Olympic team at the 2024 Summer Games.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":U23">Template:Cite news</ref> He coached the Olympic team to a silver medal, losing the final to Spain,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> before announcing his resignation as coach on 19 August 2024.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Media and broadcasting career

After leaving Montreal, Henry resumed his punditry career. He joined CBS Sports in their UEFA Champions League coverage as studio analyst on 27 September 2021,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> as well as being hired by Amazon Prime Video for their Premier League and Ligue 1 programs as consultant.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Reception

Template:Quote box

Henry has received many plaudits and awards in his football career. He was runner-up for the 2003 and 2004 FIFA World Player of the Year awards;<ref name=fp/> in those two seasons, he also won back-to-back PFA Players' Player of the Year titles.<ref name=giveme/> Henry is the only player ever to have won the FWA Footballer of the Year three times (2003, 2004, 2006),<ref name=kk/> and the French Player of the Year on a record four occasions. Henry was voted into the Premier League Overseas Team of the Decade in the 10 Seasons Awards poll in 2003,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and in 2004 he was named by football legend Pelé on the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.<ref>"Fifa names greatest list" . BBC Sport. 4 March 2004. Retrieved 1 January 2012.</ref>

Henry statue outside Arsenal's Emirates Stadium. The statue recreates Henry's goal celebration where he slid to his knees after a goal against Spurs in 2002.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

In terms of goal-scoring awards, Henry was the European Golden Boot winner in 2004 and 2005 (sharing it with Villarreal's Diego Forlán in 2005).<ref name=gill>Template:Cite web</ref> Henry was also the top goalscorer in the Premier League for a record four seasons (2002, 2004, 2005, 2006).<ref name=goal/> In 2006, he became the first player to score more than 20 goals in the league for five consecutive seasons (2002 to 2006).<ref>"Thierry Henry: The wizard of Highbury" Template:Webarchive. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 25 April 2006. Retrieved 27 March 2007.</ref> With 175, Henry is currently seventh in the list of all-time Premier League goalscorers, behind Alan Shearer, Wayne Rooney, Harry Kane, Andy Cole, Sergio Agüero, and Frank Lampard. He held the record for most goals in the competition for one club, until it was broken by Rooney in 2016,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and held the record for most goals by a foreign player in the competition until surpassed by Agüero in 2020.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> France's all-time record goalscorer was, in his prime in the mid-2000s, regarded by many coaches, footballers and journalists as one of the best players in the world.<ref name=socpro/><ref>Lacey, David (30 August 2003) "The best player in the world is wearing Arsenal's colours" . The Guardian. Retrieved 27 March 2007.</ref><ref>Ingle, Sean (11 July 2006) "First half good, second half not bad either" . The Guardian. 11 July 2006. Retrieved 27 March 2007.</ref><ref>"Wenger: Henry is the world's greatest" Template:Webarchive. China Daily. 7 November 2005. Retrieved 27 March 2007.</ref> In November 2007, he was ranked 33rd on the Association of Football Statisticians' compendium for "Greatest Ever Footballers".<ref>Raynor, Dominic (7 November 2007) "Your Verdict: 100 greatest ever footballers" Template:Webarchive. ESPN Soccernet. 7 November 2007. Retrieved 10 November 2007.</ref>

Arsenal fans honoured their former player in 2008, declaring Henry the greatest Arsenal player.<ref name=ArsenalGreatest/> In two other 2008 surveys, Henry emerged as the favourite Premier League player of all time among 32,000 people surveyed in the Barclays 2008 Global Fan Report.<ref>Brown, Oliver (11 December 2008) "Cristiano Ronaldo pipped by Fernando Torres in Premier League popularity stakes". The Daily Telegraph. 11 December 2008. Retrieved 12 December 2008.</ref><ref>Caroe, Charlie (10 December 2008) "Former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry all-time fans' favourite Premier League footballer" Template:Webarchive. The Daily Telegraph. 10 December 2008. Retrieved 31 October 2011.</ref> Arsenal fan and The Who lead singer Roger Daltrey mentions Henry in the tribute song "Highbury Highs", which he performed at Arsenal's last game at Highbury on 7 May 2006.<ref> "Rock legend to pay tribute to Highbury" Template:Webarchive. Arsenal.com. Retrieved 25 August 2014 </ref> On 10 December 2011, Arsenal unveiled a bronze statue of Henry at the Emirates Stadium as part of its 125th anniversary celebrations.<ref> "Arsenal Unveil Statues of Three Legends" Template:Webarchive. Arsenal F.C. Retrieved 12 December 2011. </ref> In 2017, FourFourTwo magazine ranked him first in their list of the 30 best strikers in Premier League history.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref> Daniel Girard of The Toronto Star described Henry as "one of the best players of his generation" in 2010.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Henry's former Arsenal manager, Wenger, described him as "one of the greatest players [he had] ever seen" in 2014.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2019, The Independent ranked Henry in first place in their list of the "100 greatest Premier League players".<ref name="Independent Henry">Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

Personal life

Henry in 2007

Henry married English model Nicole Merry, real name Claire, on 5 July 2003.<ref name=tea/> The ceremony was held at Highclere Castle, and on 27 May 2005 the couple celebrated the birth of their first child, a daughter.<ref name=div>Thierry "Va Va Vooms Away From Wife" Template:Webarchive. Sky News. 16 July 2007. Retrieved 24 February 2014.</ref>

When Henry was still at Arsenal, he purchased a home in Hampstead, North London.<ref name="tea" /> Shortly after his transfer to Barcelona, it was announced that Henry and his wife would divorce; the decree nisi was granted in September 2007,<ref>"Henry's wife is granted divorce" . BBC News. 3 September 2007. Retrieved 1 January 2012.</ref> "on the basis of his behavior".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Their separation concluded in December 2008, when Henry paid Merry a divorce settlement close to her requested sum of £10 million.<ref>"Thierry Henry pays wife £8m divorce settlement". The Daily Telegraph. 5 December 2008. Retrieved 5 December 2008.</ref>

Henry has been with his second wife, Bosnian model Andrea Rajačić, since 2011. They have three children together.<ref name="auto">Template:Cite web</ref>

In January 2024, Henry said he had been depressed throughout his career,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and that his father had been a demanding presence when he was young.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Interest in basketball

As a fan of the National Basketball Association (NBA), Henry is often seen with his friend Tony Parker at games when not playing football. Henry stated in an interview that he admires basketball, as it is similar to football in pace and excitement.<ref name=2001nba>"The Dish: Thierry Henry" Template:Webarchive. National Basketball Association. June 2001. Retrieved 20 June 2007.</ref> Having made regular trips to the NBA Finals in the past, he went to watch Parker and the San Antonio Spurs in the 2007 NBA Finals;<ref name=2007spurs>"Your Gripping NBA Champions" Template:Webarchive. Deadspin. 15 June 2007. Retrieved 20 June 2007.</ref> and in the 2001 NBA Finals, he went to Philadelphia to help with French television coverage of the Finals as well as to watch Allen Iverson, whom he named as one of his favourite players.<ref name=2001nba/>

Interest in rugby union

Henry has expressed he is a fan of rugby union having previously been spotted attending international fixtures and giving team talks to the France national team.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In October 2025, he also hosted several South African rugby players at his London home including captain Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth and Damian Willemse.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In May 2023, he expressed his support for a number of new rules to be introduced to football. These included the introduction of a bonus point if a team scores a certain amount of goal and temporary reversible substitutions for players requiring treatment both of which have already been implemented in rugby.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Appearance on screen

Henry makes a short cameo appearance in the 2015 film Entourage. Henry's part sees him walking a dog and having exchange with Ari Gold (character played by Jeremy Piven), who is an over-the-top Hollywood agent.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> He makes a number of cameo appearances playing himself in the Apple TV+ football comedy series Ted Lasso.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Henry makes a number of appearances in the Amazon Original sports docuseries All or Nothing: Arsenal, which documented the club by spending time with the coaching staff and players behind the scenes both on and off the field throughout their 2021–22 season.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Social causes

Henry is a member of the UNICEF-FIFA squad, where together with other professional footballers he appeared in a series of TV spots seen by hundreds of millions of fans around the world during the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups. In these spots, the players promote football as a game that must be played on behalf of children.<ref name=uni/>

Henry speaking against online bullying at the Web Summit in 2021

Having been subjected to racism in the past, Henry is an active spokesperson against racism in football. The most prominent incident of racism against Henry was during a training session with the Spanish national team in 2004,<ref name=aragones>"Aragones fined for Henry remarks" . BBC Sport. 1 March 2005. Retrieved 1 January 2012.</ref><ref name="aragones2">Template:Cite book</ref> when a Spanish TV crew caught coach Luis Aragonés referring to Henry as "black shit" to José Antonio Reyes, Henry's teammate at Arsenal.<ref name="fq">Template:Cite web</ref> The incident caused an uproar in the British media, and there were calls for Aragonés to be sacked.<ref name=aragonesfamily>"Family urged Aragones to resign" . BBC Sport. 1 December 2004. Retrieved 1 January 2012.</ref> Henry and Nike started the Stand Up Speak Up campaign against racism in football as a result of the incident.<ref name=standup>"Caborn welcomes anti-racism stand" . BBC Sport. 9 February 2005. Retrieved 1 January 2012.</ref> Subsequently, in 2007, Time featured him as one of the "Heroes & Pioneers" on the Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world.<ref>Parker, Tony (3 May 2007) "Thierry Henry". Time. Retrieved 20 October 2007.</ref>

Along with 45 other football players, Henry took part in FIFA's "Live for Love United" in 2002. The single was released in tandem with the 2002 FIFA World Cup and its proceeds went towards AIDS research.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Henry also supports the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Cystic Fibrosis Trust.<ref>"Thierry Henry" Template:Webarchive. Look to the Stars. Retrieved 25 February 2009.</ref>

Henry has also played in charity football games for various causes. In June 2018, he reunited with his France 1998 World Cup winning teammates to play a charity game against an All-Star team which included Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, with proceeds going to the Mecenet Cardiac Charity and the Children of the World fund. In a 3–2 win for France, Henry played a trademark no-look one-two pass with Zinedine Zidane before scoring with a 20-yard curling strike.<ref name="charity match"/>

Commercial endorsements

In 2006, Henry was valued as the ninth-most commercially marketable footballer in the world, and throughout his career he has signed many endorsements and appeared in commercials.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Sportswear

At the beginning of his career, Henry signed with sportswear giant Nike. In the buildup to the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan, Henry featured in Nike's "Secret Tournament" advertisement, directed by Terry Gilliam, along with 24 superstar football players.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In a 2004 advertisement, Henry pits his wits against others footballers in locations such as his bedroom and living room, which was partly inspired by Henry himself, who revealed that he always has a football nearby, even at home.<ref name=NikeCommercial>""Henry loves home match" Template:Webarchive. Daily Mirror. 30 May 2004. Retrieved 19 February 2009.</ref> In tandem with the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Henry also featured in Nike's Joga Bonito campaign, Portuguese for "beautiful game".<ref name=nikecampaign>Stevenson, Seth (17 April 2006) "Keep Soccer Beautiful!" Template:Webarchive. Slate. Retrieved 24 March 2007.</ref>

Henry's deal with Nike ended after the 2006 FIFA World Cup, when he signed a deal with Reebok to appear in their "I Am What I Am" campaign.<ref name=reebok>Bond, David (12 April 2006) "Henry drops bombshell by moving to Reebok" Template:Webarchive. The Daily Telegraph. 12 April 2006. Retrieved 25 February 2014.</ref> As part of Reebok Entertainment's "Framed" series, Henry was the star of a half-hour episode that detailed the making of a commercial about himself directed by Spanish actress Paz Vega.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2011, Henry switched to Puma boots.<ref>"Official Henry to wear Puma boots" Template:Webarchive. FootballBoots.co.uk. Retrieved 3 August 2011.</ref>

Others

Henry featured in the Renault Clio advertisements in which he popularised the term va-va-voom, meaning "life" or "passion". His romantic interest in the commercial was his then-girlfriend, later his wife (now divorced), Claire Merry. "Va-va-voom" was subsequently added to the Concise Oxford English Dictionary.<ref>Va-va-voom is in the dictionary . Newsround. 8 July 2004. Retrieved 1 January 2012.</ref>

In February 2007, Henry was named as one of the three global ambassadors of Gillette's "Champions Program", which purported to feature three of the "best-known, most widely respected and successful athletes competing today" and also showcased Roger Federer and Tiger Woods in a series of television commercials.<ref name=gill/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In reaction to the handball controversy following the France vs Ireland 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier, Gillette faced a boycott and accusations of doctoring French versions of their Champions poster, but subsequently released a statement backing Henry.<ref>"Boycott threat to Gillette products over Thierry Henry 'handball' row" Template:Webarchive. The Daily Telegraph. 21 November 2009. Retrieved 25 February 2014.</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Henry was part of Pepsi's "Dare For More" campaign in 2005, alongside the likes of David Beckham and Ronaldinho.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He starred in a 2014 advert for Beats headphones with other global football stars including Neymar and Luis Suárez, with the theme of "The Game Before the Game" and the players pre-game ritual of listening to music.<ref>"Neymar, Thierry Henry and Luis Suarez star in thrilling new World Cup advert" Template:Webarchive. London Evening Standard. Retrieved 25 February 2015</ref>

Henry featured on the front cover of the editions of EA Sports' FIFA video game series from FIFA 2001 to FIFA 2005.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was included as an icon to the Ultimate Team in FIFA 18.<ref>"FIFA 18 to include 95-rated icon Diego Maradona as EA Sports adds footballing legend to Ultimate Team" Template:Webarchive. Evening Standard. Retrieved 8 September 2017</ref> He was also a cover star for the Konami Pro Evolution Soccer video game series, and was featured on the covers of Pro Evolution Soccer 4 to Pro Evolution Soccer 6.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Other interests

In August 2022, Serie B club Como announced Henry has joined them as an investor and minority stakeholder.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cupTemplate:Efn League cupTemplate:Efn Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Monaco B 1994–95<ref name="nft">Template:NFT</ref> CFA 19 6 — — — — 19 6
Monaco 1994–95<ref name="wf">Template:Cite web</ref> Division 1 8 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 8 3
1995–96<ref name="wf"/> Division 1 18 3 0 0 3 0 1 0 — 22 3
1996–97<ref name="wf"/> Division 1 36 9 1 0 2 0 9Template:Efn 1 — 48 10
1997–98<ref name="wf"/> Division 1 30 4 4 0 1 0 9Template:Efn 7 — 44 11
1998–99<ref name="wf"/> Division 1 13 1 0 0 1 0 5 0 — 19 1
Total 105 20 5 0 7 0 24 8 — 141 28
Juventus 1998–99<ref name="wf"/> Serie A 16 3 1 0 — 0 0 2Template:Efn 0 19 3
1999–2000<ref name="wf"/> Serie A 0 0 0 0 — 1Template:Efn 0 — 1 0
Total 16 3 1 0 — 1 0 2 0 20 3
Arsenal 1999–2000<ref name="wf"/> Premier League 31 17 3 0 2 1 12Template:Efn 8 — 48 26
2000–01<ref name="wf"/> Premier League 35 17 4 1 0 0 14Template:Efn 4 — 53 22
2001–02<ref name="wf"/> Premier League 33 24 5 1 0 0 11Template:Efn 7 — 49 32
2002–03<ref name="wf"/> Premier League 37 24 5 1 0 0 12Template:Efn 7 1Template:Efn 0 55 32
2003–04<ref name="wf"/> Premier League 37 30 3 3 0 0 10Template:Efn 5 1Template:Efn 1 51 39
2004–05<ref name="wf"/> Premier League 32 25 1 0 0 0 8Template:Efn 5 1Template:Efn 0 42 30
2005–06<ref name="wf"/> Premier League 32 27 0 0 1 1 11Template:Efn 5 1Template:Efn 0 45 33
2006–07<ref name="wf"/> Premier League 17 10 3 1 0 0 7Template:Efn 1 — 27 12
Total 254 174 24 7 3 2 85 42 4 1 370 226
Barcelona 2007–08<ref name="wf"/> La Liga 30 12 7 4 — 10Template:Efn 3 — 47 19
2008–09<ref name="wf"/> La Liga 29 19 1 1 — 12Template:Efn 6 — 42 26
2009–10<ref name="wf"/> La Liga 21 4 1 0 — 6Template:Efn 0 4Template:Efn 0 32 4
Total 80 35 9 5 — 28 9 4 0 121 49
New York Red Bulls 2010<ref name="wf"/> Major League Soccer 11 2 0 0 — — 1Template:Efn 0 12 2
2011<ref name="wf"/> Major League Soccer 26 14 0 0 — — 3Template:Efn 1 29 15
2012<ref name="wf"/> Major League Soccer 25 15 0 0 — — 2Template:Efn 0 27 15
2013<ref name="wf"/> Major League Soccer 30 10 0 0 — — 2Template:Efn 0 32 10
2014<ref name="wf"/> Major League Soccer 30 10 0 0 — 0 0 5Template:Efn 0 35 10
Total 122 51 0 0 — 0 0 13 1 135 52
Arsenal (loan) 2011–12<ref name="wf"/> Premier League 4 1 2 1 0 0 1Template:Efn 0 — 7 2
Career total 600 290 41 13 10 2 139 59 23 2 813 366

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International

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Appearances and goals by national team and year<ref name="nft"/><ref>"Thierry Henry". FIFA. Retrieved 2 January 2012.</ref><ref>"Thierry Henry" Template:Webarchive. French Football Federation. Retrieved 24 February 2014.</ref><ref>Mamrud, Roberto (17 September 2010) "Thierry Henry – Century of International Appearances" Template:Webarchive. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 3 January 2012.</ref>
National team Year Apps Goals
France 1997 1 0
1998 10 3
1999 0 0
2000 14Template:Ref label 5
2001 7 3
2002 10 3
2003 14 11
2004 13 3
2005 6 3
2006 16 8
2007 6 5
2008 11 4
2009 9 3
2010 6 0
Total 123 51

Note Template:Refbegin Template:Note label Includes one appearance from the match against FIFA XI on 16 August 2000 which FIFA and the French Football Federation count as an official friendly match.<ref>Pla Diaz, Emilio (23 July 2006) "Zinedine Zidane – Century of International Appearances" Template:Webarchive. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 2 January 2012. </ref> Template:Refend

Managerial

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Team From To Record
Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip Template:Tooltip
Monaco 13 October 2018 24 January 2019

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<ref name="2018-19 standings">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="2018-19 coupe de france">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="2018-19 coupe de la ligue">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="2018-19 champions league">Template:Cite web</ref>
Montreal Impact 14 November 2019 25 February 2021

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<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
France U21 21 August 2023 19 August 2024

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<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
France Olympic 18 March 2024 9 August 2024

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<ref name=":U23"/>
Total

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Honours

Player

Henry won two Premier League titles with Arsenal.

Monaco

Arsenal

Barcelona

New York Red Bulls

France U20

France

Henry made four appearances for the MLS All-Stars from 2011 to 2014.

Individual

Orders

Manager

France Olympic

Records

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Arsenal

  • All-time top scorer: 228 goals<ref name=Arsenal>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Most league goals: 175 goals<ref name=Arsenal/>
  • Most European goals: 42<ref name=Arsenal/>
  • Most Champions League goals: 35<ref name=Arsenal/>
  • Most Premier League goals in a season: 30 (2003–04) (shared with Robin van Persie)<ref name=Arsenal/>
  • Most Premier League hat-tricks: 8<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Most European appearances: 86<ref name=Arsenal2>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Most Champions League appearances: 78<ref name=Arsenal2/>
  • Most Arsenal Player of the Season Awards: 4<ref name=":4" />

Continental

England

France

Premier League

See also

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Notes and references

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