Thierry Henry – Is it time to return to Arsenal?
Thierry Henry and Arsenal have we not heard about this winning combination before? The player joined the club in 1999 for a highly successful 8 years spell. He was lured from Juventus for £11m where he had spent an unsuccessful year, playing a small part as a winger after showing promise in the 1998 World Cup. There were some eyebrows raised on this transfer and the sums paid but Arsene Wenger can always be trusted to pick the right player for his team and in this case he had already worked with Henry before so he knew the new recruit inside out. Henry was transformed from a winger to one of the most prolific strikers, scoring 226 goals in 364 appearances for the club and surpassing the club’s all time goals scoring record in the process. He was the club’s leading goal scorer in seven of the eight seasons at the club (with the last he could not play much because of injuries).
Arsenal won a league and FA Cup double in 2001-02 seasons with Henry contributing with 32 goals in all competitions and winning the league’s Golden Boot. 2002-03 seasons was another successful season for him as he scored 32 goals in all competitions and assisted in 23 others. Then came the famous 2003-04 season of “The Invincibles” when the club remained unbeaten in the league and winning it. Henry scored 39 goals in all competitions that season and won the European Golden Boot award. He narrowly, and controversially, missed out on the 2004 FIFA Player of the Year award. 2004-05 seasons only yielded the FA Cup for the club but the player once again crossed the 30-goal mark and scored 31 goals in all competitions, sharing the European Golden Boot. He is still the only player to win this award on two occasions.
He was made captain of the club in the start of the 2005-06 season when Patrick Vieira left. He led a very young Arsenal team to the UEFA Champions League final that season which they lost to Barcelona. Speculations were high that Henry would leave Arsenal after this match. His teammates were thought to lack experience for winning any competition (which has proved to be correct to date). Henry, however, stayed on for leading the club in to their new stadium. This last season was full of injuries, which restricted him to only 10 goals in 17 league appearances and at the end of which he moved to Barcelona.
Henry never kept his desire of returning to Arsenal as a secret. Only one year into his move to Spain he declared that he still loved Arsenal and followed them closely. This wish of his, and of Arsene Wenger also, was made public when Arsenal drew with Barcelona for quarterfinals of the 2009-10 UEFA Champions League. This was the first, and a very emotional, return for the player to his former club.
Arsene Wenger announced at the end of the 2009-10 season that his team needed experience for challenging any honours and who could do so better than Thierry Henry himself. Arsenal has not won a piece of silverware since Henry exited the club doors. The player is also certain to leave Barcelona this summer having made only 14 league starts in 2009-10 season and falling further down the pecking order after the rise of Pedro Rodriquez and the recent signing of David Villa. There are some offers for him from MLS (Major League Soccer) but that will be too much a step downward in quality of football for him (all respect to MLS though). At 32, there is definitely a lot left in him which Arsenal can benefit from and no doubt Arsenal is in need of a morale lift which they can get with their legend returning to where he actually belongs to; the hearts of the gunners.
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