Thierry Henry has waved goodbye to Arsenal many times before – but this may be his last farewell

By on July 26, 2014

Per Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger: “When I put him at centre-forward he told me ‘Look, I can’t score goals’.” This quote could correlate to many Arsenal forwards over the past few years. Bar a few big names, mainly any forward at the club since 2007, when Thierry Henry departed for Barcelona. Since then, only Robin van Persie has begun to fill the shoes the Frenchman left at the club. So what is remarkable about this quote, is that Wenger was speaking of Henry himself – the man so revered at Arsenal he had a statue built in his honor outside the Emirates. In Wenger’s words, also chosen by many others – a “legend”. Now, 268 goals on and two Premier League titles afterwards, “for somebody who can’t score goals he has done quite well,” per Wenger.

Naturally, Wenger would know best.  The manager had been connected with Henry since the forward was just 13 years of age, when Wenger sent a scout from his then club Monaco to watch the starlet.  The scout watched one match, and witnessed Henry scored six goals – all of them as his side won 6-0.  Without even a trial he was asked to join Monaco’s youth setup, and just four years on he made his senior debut at Monaco.  Wenger played him at left wing.

Still a teenager, his career took off under Wenger.  Henry was named the French Young Footballer of the Year before his eighteenth birthday, and also helped the club win the French Ligue 1 before leading them to a UEFA Champions League semifinal finish.  At the age of 22, the Frenchman was on his way to Juventus, the Italian giants, and then Wenger splashed what was a massive amount of money at the time, £11 million, to reunite with the forward at Arsenal.  Finally, the manager turned him into a forward.   Then, Henry really blossomed.  Over the next six years, he was the Premier League’s top scorer four times.  He scored 30 goals in Arsenal’s Invincibles campaign, and through Arsenal’s best period in the modern era, with six major titles, Henry was there.

Yet things began to break apart for Arsenal – the Invincibles one by one went on their own ways.  Dennis Bergkamp retired in 2007, Patrick Viera had already been sold to Juventus, Ashley Cole moved to Chelsea, Tony Adams had retired in 2003, and finally, Henry was sold to Barcelona.  The forward was a legend by that point.  Even at international level, he had won one World Cup and lead France to another World Cup final in 2006.  His final goodbye to Arsenal was in a 1-1 draw with PSV in the Champions League.  Fittingly, it was at home.  Henry arrived at Arsenal at Highbury stadium, and waved goodbye at the Emirates.

But unbenonst to him at the time, it wouldn’t be the last time he said his farewells to Arsenal.  After moving to the New York Red Bulls in the summer of 2010, he got a chance to move back to Arsenal on loan during the MLS offseason in 2012.  Henry made seven sub appearances for the club, and glimpses of his old dominant self were visible.  He scored two goals, both match winning.  Yet again, at the end of the loan he had to wave goodbye to Arsenal.  Surely, that was the last time.  But no, after so many years touring Asia during the summer, Arsenal decided to move to their pre-season tour to the US.  And in their first “New York Cup” friendly against the Red Bulls, for fifty-three minutes, Henry played.  Unlike what Wenger had previously hoped, all of that time was for New York, but every time Henry took a corner down at the Arsenal end the the stadium, he was given a standing ovation.  Likewise as he waved what might be his last goodbye to Arsenal on his way off.  Arsenal plan to host the New York Cup once again, but Henry might not be there with rumors of his retirement.

New York Red Bulls Head of Football, Gerard Houllier, hinted at it, saying: “I’ll have a talk with Thierry soon and of course I’ll know. I have an idea, I think he wants to retire.”  Even Henry himself has said he will think about it at the end of the Major League Soccer season.  Henry has had a hard time letting go of Arsenal – in his own words “once a Gooner, always a Gooner” – but he may have finally waved farewell for the last time.

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.