Thierry Henry Signs With NY Red Bulls, Quits France Team
Thierry Henry is ready to move on to a new chapter in his career. Not only has Henry made the move to Major League Soccer (MLS) to join the New York Red Bulls but he has also retired from international football.
Henry is France’s all time leading goal-scorer. Henry, 32, confirmed that he has retired from international football. Henry claims that once he departed from the European football scene, "it was the end for me on the national team."
Henry’s career with the national team ended on a slightly sad note as the team France played poorly and made an early exit, finishing last in Group A.
"South Africa didn't play any part in it,'' he said at his unveiling by the Red Bulls. "I could have announced it before the World Cup but I just didn't want to put that type of cloud on top of the team."
"My decision was already taken before the World Cup. I think it was time for me to stop after the World Cup," he added.
Henry made 123 appearances for Les Bleus in his illustrious career for the French team. He was part of the World Cup winning team in 1998, the Euro Cup winning team in 2000, and was a runner-up at the 2006 World Cup. However, his final appearance marked a 2-1 defeat to hosts South Africa.
"I actually would like to know myself (what went wrong in South Africa),'' he said. "I don't know what it was. From a personal point of view, I am always going to respect the decision of the coach. It was (Raymond Domenech's) decision not to play me and I respect that.”
"We had a good atmosphere, but when you don't perform well it is difficult. A lot of the stories that came out were invented. For me, you can also have a lot of stuff happening when you win. We just didn't play well. I will stick to this.''
Henry had a sensational career for his national side, scoring 51 times in his run with France. He also had a great run in European football playing for Arsenal, finishing with 226 goals in his eight years with the club. He is without question, one of the biggest signings in the MLS and he has cemented his place among football’s greats.
While Henry’s days are done with the French team, he wishes his former teammates good luck and feels the team can start fresh with a new coach.
"I think the team should move on now with Laurent Blanc in position as the coach, and hopefully they can qualify for the European Championships and do well in that competition.''
The forward earned his first cap in 1997 and was the leading scorer when France were crowned World Cup Champions in 1998 as the hosts.
Following the retirement of Zinedine Zidane, Henry was named the team captain for the next few years. He lost that captaincy shortly before the start of this year’s World Cup as Domenech did not place him as a regular starter.
Now Henry looks to start a new chapter in his football career in the MLS: "It is an honour to play for the New York Red Bulls. I am fully aware of the team's history and my sole goal during my time here is to help win the club its first championship. Knowing Red Bull's significant commitment to soccer locally and internationally, I am confident that my team-mates and I will succeed."
While Henry will forever be remembered for “the hand ball,” it’s important to acknowledge what Henry did for French football. He brought them into the game as a powerhouse and was a major reason why the team was the seventh to be crowned world champions.
Now New York has just gotten another star and will treasure the European great.
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