When asked about the side Arsenal would field against Leeds in their upcoming FA Cup tie at the Emirates Stadium, Gunners manager Arsene Wenger said he would play both Marouane Chamakh and Park Chu-Young, while adding that strikers Robin van Persie and Gervais Yao Kouassi would be omitted from the teamsheet. Leeds United will be expecting Arsenal to field a strong side, but there is one name that will catch the eye of all those viewing the game more than any other: Thierry Henry.
Yes, Thierry Henry is back for a two-month loan stint with the club that made him a legend, and his mentor has already said that Henry will feature in the tie. Whether he will start the game or not is yet to be decided, but as British tabloid journalist Piers Morgan puts it, the roar at the Emirates Stadium when Thierry Henry takes to the field will be like a hurricane. The transfer saga regarding the Frenchman’s return to Arsenal has been dragged out for a while now, but was completed in time for Henry to play against the Elland Road side.
The thirty-four year old who won the Premier League twice with Arsenal during his stay in North London recently had a statue of himself unveiled at the Emirates Stadium during Arsenal’s 125th Anniversary celebrations, and is probably the youngest ever player to have a statue of himself cast in bronze. But that’s just how good – no, not good – fantastically awesome he is.
File picture of Arsenal player Thierry Henry. Reuters
He is Arsenal’s highest scorer, eclipsing even the great Ian Wright by netting 226 goals during his time in the red and white. He’s won a total of six trophies (and it really should’ve been more) and has also won the World Cup in 1998 and the European Championships in 2002 with France. To top it all off he won the Champions League – the only trophy that eluded him as a Gunner – with Barcelona, the only club he promised he’d leave for if he ever left Ashburton Grove.
Henry on his day was peerless. He had pace to burn, an eagle-eyed vision that footballers throughout the world die for, strength that was needed to cope with the physicality of the Premier League and the gift of brilliance that the best footballers in the world are born with so that Henry was well, Henry.
A product of Arsene Wenger‘s Monaco Youth Academy alongside fellow compatriots Lilian Thuram, Fabien Barthez and David Trezeguet, Henry was plucked from Juventus where he spent an unhappy six months on the wing, and as is with many things Wenger, the decision to convert Thierry Henry from winger to striker was a stroke of genius, and despite Henry not being able to score in his first eight games – he himself admitted that he ‘had to
be re-taught everything about the art of striking’ – once the floodgates opened, it was clear to all that here was something special in the making.
be re-taught everything about the art of striking’ – once the floodgates opened, it was clear to all that here was something special in the making.
Special goals, such has his scorcher against Manchester United, his hat-trick againstLiverpool after the Gunners had been eliminated from the Carling Cup and the Champions League in successive matches, THOSE four goals against Leeds United, his beautiful curling free-kick against Charlton Athletic, hitting Inter for five at the San Siro, scoring against Spurs after a seventy yard slalom, and so many more that made watching Henry, Bergkamp, Pires, Vieira and Ljungberg a sight for sore eyes.
Henry scaled lofty heights during his time with the club, and given Arsenal’s current woes, Wenger has once again pulled off a coup in bringing ‘Titi’ back to the Emirates. With Chamakh and Gervinho both off to represent their national sides, Henry will provide some much needed morale that will certainly a boost to everybody in the Arsenal dressing room. Keeper Woijciech Szczesny has said that Arsenal could do with someone like Henry, Robin van Persie has said that Henry was ‘brave’ to come back and play for the Gunners, Alexandre Song has said that Henry gives it his all in training, and youngster Francis Coquelin has said that Henry has lost none of his class.
Henry’s legendary number 14 jersey has now passed on to Theo Walcott, someone who looks up to the great Frenchman, who will be handed the number 12 jersey instead – the same number he wore for France, but has
made no qualms about his place in the side.
made no qualms about his place in the side.
“I am not coming here to be a hero or prove anything, I am just coming here to help. People have to understand that”, said Henry. “Marouane and Gervinho are going to the Africa Cup of Nations, so I was asked to fill in the gap. It is a loan deal and I’ll be on the bench most of the time. If I can make the bench that is! The boss has
a team here already who are doing something good. I am just going to be part of the squad.
a team here already who are doing something good. I am just going to be part of the squad.
“I want to send a message to the fans of New York Red Bulls as well. I always said I would not play in Europe again. But it is hard for me when it comes to Arsenal. I am not coming here for the whole season, I will be back and I want to win the MLS Cup with the Red Bulls. I hope it is win-win situation where I can help Arsenal and come back fit for the MLS season.”
At 34, Henry may have lost the pace which made him so deadly in the past, but his eye for goal, penchant for spotting a run and silky touch are still very much in place. Every touch by the Frenchman will be cheered, every move greeted with gasps of awe and every minute on the pitch cherished by the man who spent nine memorable years clad in the red and white of Arsenal.
The King is back. And we’re counting on him.
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