Thierry Henry
France
17 August 1977
multiplayer
Thierry Henry is a French professional football coach, pundit, sports broadcaster, and former player. One of the greatest players of all time, he is regarded as one of the greatest players in Premier League history.
Henry was known for his composure, elegance, dribbling and close control, finishing, and chance-creating. He is a back to back winner of the European Golden Shoe, runner-up for the Ballon d'Or in 2003, and FIFA World Player of the Year in 2003 and 2004. He was named the FWA Footballer of the Year a record three times, the PFA Players' Player of the Year twice, and made the PFA Team of the Year six consecutive times. He was included in the FIFA FIFPro World XI once and the UEFA Team of the Year five times. In 2004, Henry was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of greatest living players.
Henry made his professional debut with Monaco in 1994 before signing for Juventus. Limited playing time, and 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. Generally viewed as Arsenal's best ever player, he won the Premier League Golden Boot a record four times, three FA Cups and two Premier League titles, most notably as a cornerstone of the unbeaten Invincible season, after achieving a historic 24 goals and 20 assists the season prior. Henry spent his final two seasons with Arsenal as captain, leading them to the 2006 UEFA Champions League final. Henry transferred to Barcelona in 2007 and, in 2008–09, was a key part of the club's historic treble when they won La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and 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 in the UEFA Euro 2000 Team of the Tournament, awarded the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Ball and Golden Shoe, and named in the 2006 FIFA World Cup All-Star Team. In 2007, he became his country's record goalscorer, a record he held until 2022. After 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 2015, in tandem with punditry for Sky Sports. In 2016, he was appointed assistant coach at Belgium, before becoming Monaco head coach in 2018. He was relieved of his duties in 2019 and returned to MLS to manage Montréal Impact. He led Montréal to the playoffs in 2020 before departing in 2021, returning as an assistant coach for Belgium for 18 months. From August 2023 to August 2024, Henry served as manager of the France national under-21 team and the France Olympic team at the 2024 Summer Games, leading the team to silver.
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