Thierry Henry

MLS: Red Bulls with Henry rescued a 1-1 draw with Dynamo

2011-04-03T20:41:00.000-07:00

Thierry Henry and his team received Houston Dynamo at the Red Bull Arena in New York, but they were able to get only a 1-1 draw in a complicated match.

Talented Dane Richards scored the openers for the Bulls right at the beginning of the second half, but Cameron Weaver netted the equalizer just three minutes later.

The Red Bulls dominated the game most of the time, performing almost 20 shots on goal in the whole match. But that was not enough to beat Dynamo this time. Thierry Henry stayed on the pitch until the end of the game, but his performance was only acceptable.

Joel Lindpere scored in Red Bulls victory over Earthquakes

2010-11-01T12:58:00.000-07:00

The MLS Easter Conference semifinals are not decided yet but New York Red Bulls took a big step ahead by defeating San Jose Earthquakes 1-0 on Saturday night. Estonian midfielder Joel Lindpere netted the only goal of the match.

Thierry Henry is still sidelined due to an injury, but the team seems to be handling this situation very good. New York front men are not extremely effective but most of the time they appear when required, just enough to win games.

The second game of this semifinal will take place on Thursday in Harrison, N.J. But if statistics are a reference, we must say that Red Bull won their last encounter there with a 2-0 victory over the Earthquakes.

Thierry Henry Wallpaper 2010

2010-10-27T21:57:00.000-07:00

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New York Red Bulls beat LA Galaxy without Thierry Henry

2010-10-24T22:03:00.000-07:00

Dane Richards and Juan Pablo Angel scored against Los Angeles Galaxy and helped New York get another victory. Thierry Henry was not fit for this match due to Medial Collateral Ligament Injury.

Hans Backe' squad has shown maturity and a great style this season, even when Henry was not on the field. As for Bruce Arena's side, it was another bad night for most of his men on the pitch.

Thierry Henry greatful for amazing reception by Arsenal supporters

2010-04-02T09:28:00.000-07:00

French striker Thierry Henry assured that his return to Arsenal Stadium was an emotional moment for him, and it was amazing that the local fans gave him a warm welcome.

As we know, Thierry played for Arsenal for almos eight years, winning many titles and scoring more than one hundred goals for the Gunners.

Barcelona, with Henry entering in the second half, faced Arsenal on Wednesday for the Champions League quarterfinals.

"When you have fans like Arsenal's, it is not surprising to play like they did. Still, it would have been great to come back with a victory".

The popular Henry assured that it's really good to feel that the British fans still appreciate him and recognize what he did for the Club.

Barcelona vs. Arsenal: Henry will face his beloved ex-club and fans plan a warm welcome

2010-03-30T13:59:00.000-07:00

Thierry Henry will always be a legend in Arsenal. Three years ago, his name was the biggest one at the London club. Henry was the top scorer of the League with the Gunners for three consecutive seasons, won two Premier Leagues and reached the final of the UEFA Champions League.

But tomorrow, Henry's job will be to eliminate Arsenal out of this competition. Life's like this. The quarterfinals draw said that the powerful Barcelona has to battle the Gunners to win a ticket to the semis.

Despite that, fans on the streets claim that Henry will always be an idol for the club, and they assure that the French striker will feel at home tomorrow.

We must consider that this is probably the last season in the top-level football for Henry. At the age of 32, the popular "Titi" is having his most disappointing season with Guardiola's team, and he has been sitting on the substitutes' bench in many games.

Messi beats Valencia with a superb hat-trick, then praises Thierry Henry

2010-03-14T23:37:00.000-07:00

Barcelona got an outstanding 3-0 win over Valencia in the Spanish League. Lionel Messi was once again the player of the match, and Thierry Henry contributed to make it happen.

Indeed, the amazingly talented Messi scored three superb goals, and at the end of the game, he praised the efforts of goalkeeper Victor Valdes and striker Henry in this important victory.

"The first part took a lot out of us, we allowed the match to suit Valencia and their counterstrike style. But in the locker room we remembered that we are all important. Thierry Henry has really helped with his huge effort, his energy and the pressure he puts on the defenders."

Barcelona is at the top of the Spanish League. Real Madrid keeps the second place after defeating Real Valladolid

Ireland demand to play the match again

2009-11-19T12:04:00.000-08:00

The match is over and Ireland is out of the World Cup, but apparently, this has just begun. The Football Association of Ireland sent an official statement to FIFA on Thursday demanding to replay the playoff against France.

As we know, France qualified for the World Cup after their 1-1 tie with the Irish team yesterday, but the French goal was scored thanks to a previous hand by Thierry Henry. The referee declared the goal as valid, unleashing the fury of millions of Irish fans.

We can understand the feelings of the Irish board in their statement: “The blatantly incorrect decision by the referee to award the goal has damaged the integrity of the sport and we now call on FIFA, as the world governing body for our sport, to organise for this game to be replayed.”

Irish Federetion head John Delaney also said that he had also written to the French Association regarding the controversial match and was not calling for a replay simply out of principle.

“For me, it's totally unfair so we have to do it. It is up to the people who govern football now, if they really believe in the principals of fair play then step forward,” Delaney said. Everytime I go to congress it is all about fair play and fair play ambassadors… but well done is better than well said. They’re words, I’d like to see actions” Delaney expressed.

Irish players also said what they think about it. Robbie Keane blasted against Platini and Blatter: "They're all probably clapping hands, Platini sitting up there on the phone to Sepp Blatter, probably texting each other, delighted with the result."

France reach the World Cup 2010 thanks to Henry's hand

2009-11-19T11:35:00.001-08:00

France got their ticket to South Africa 2010 thanks to a extremely polemic goal scored by William Gallas. The blues tied 1-1 with Ireland at the Stade de France and won the play offs thanks to their previous victory in Dublin.

The controversial goal came in the minute 103, when forward Thierry Henry controlled the ball with his left hand before passing it to Gallas in front of goal. Unfortunately for Ireland, Swedish referee Martin Hansson and his assistant didn't see the hand.

Previously, Robbie Keane shocked the whole crowd at the minute 32' with a superb goal. But the Irish dreams where just about to be destroyed.

The best thing for the World Cup is that we will be able to watch super stars like Thierry Henry, Frank Ribery and Benzema in South Africa. But the rough reactions for this hand will last long.

Fench coach Raymond Domenech expressed the feeling of millions of french fans: "It was difficult, arduous and at some points, miraculous. It was a win by the skin of our teeth."

European press: Thierry Henry will be transfered

2009-02-06T23:19:00.000-08:00

Henry headed home Barcelona's opener in a straightforward 2-0 win over Mallorca in the first leg of the King's Cup semi-finals. It keeps the Spanish side on course for a La Liga, King's Cup and Champions League treble, a feat never before achieved in Spain.

In fact, frenchman Henry has played a pivotal role in Barcelona's fortunes this season, as he shows the form which earned him legendary status at Arsenal.

That has not prevented interested Premier League clubs from trying to tempt the France international back to England, though, with reports suggesting Barca would be willing to listen to offers for their in-form striker.

According to the Sun, Barcelona are ready to sell Henry to an English club for £12 million so they can free up some finances to launch a £25m raid for Bayern Munich's left-sided midfielder Franck Ribery.

Manchester City are likely to lead the chase for the 31-year-old. City were linked with a January transfer window move for France's all-time top goal scorer although they never made an official bid.

It’s important to notice that City will be back in the market for a striker once the window reopens. Mark Hughes has limited options in attack but chose to loan Brazilian striker Jo to Everton until the end of the season following a lean spell at Eastlands.

Should Jo impress at Goodison, City may be prepared to cut their losses and recoup some of the £18m they paid out to bring the former CSKA Moscow striker to the Premier League.

Henry, meanwhile, has always insisted that he would not return to play for another English club. While a second spell at Arsenal has often been mooted, Henry remains keen to see out his playing days in America.

Henry showed a good performance in Barcelona victory over Mallorca

2009-02-06T23:17:00.000-08:00

Barcelona comfortably saw off Real Mallorca tonight in the Copa Del Rey semi-final first leg, in a win that proved to be far more comfortable than the final score suggests.

As we know, Bojan linked superbly with Thierry Henry to allow the Frenchman to open the scoring, and defender Rafael Marquez doubled their advantage with a stunning second half free-kick to put the Catalan side on the brink of the final.

Unsurprisingly, Mallorca chose to adopt a defensive set-up, playing 4-5-1 with striker Webo given the task of foraging up front against the mean back four of Barcelona. Given their relegation plight and the fact that there is another leg to come, Mallorca could be forgiven for sitting back and allowing the champions elect to break them down.

And with Lionel Messi consigned to the bench for the second encounter in succession, Bojan was given the opportunity to continue his development for the Blaugrana and he was desperate to impress coach Pep Guardiola.

In the eighth minute, he commenced a mazy run that showed all the characteristics of the diminutive Argentine whose place he had taken in the squad. He skipped inside and out, leaving two defenders for dead before drilling a low shot that Lux did well to clear with his feet. Then he spun in the area once more, and warmed the fingers of the away goalkeeper with another low shot. He looked in the mood tonight.

However it should have been Iniesta that opened the scoring on the half hour. Thierry Henry flicked a nonchalant back heel into the path of the Spaniard and as Lux approached he attempted to stab the ball past him rather than dance around his advances, and the ball trickled harmlessly wide of the post.

But the Blaugrana were not to be denied, and the opening goal was all down to the decision making of Bojan, who continues to progress at this level. He used the overlapping run of Dani Alves as a decoy and swung an inviting cross onto the head of former Arsenal man Thierry Henry, who gratefully accepted the chance to nod the ball into the net for this thirteenth strike of the season. It was a goal that was always arriving given the amount of pressure that Mallorca were under.

Given the players that Mallorca coach Gregorio Manzano chose to omit from his squad this evening, it appeared that there was a sense of acceptance surrounding the Islanders’ play that Barcelona would triumph tonight. They showed little in either half that suggested that they were willing to mount any kind of counter to Henry’s opener, and instead Barcelona’s second string continued to attack in droves.

The inevitable entrance of Messi as a substitute lifted the atmosphere that was in danger of becoming a little subdued at the Camp Nou, and within minutes of his introduction he almost managed a picture book goal.

He and Iniesta showed telepathic interplay before the Argentine fired a powerful shot that the busy Lux beat around the post. Five minutes later, Messi once more struck a low drive which once again the goalkeeper cleared with his legs.

Bojan did not sparkle in the second half and struggled to make the impact that he had managed in the first, and his sloppy play was representative of Barcleona’s rather lackadaisical attitude to the encounter.

But Marquez lit up the encounter with a sublime finish on 75 minutes that almost certainly put the home side out of reach in the tie. Busquets was brought down on the edge of the area, and the Mexican curled a perfect, accurate free-kick into Lux’s top right hand corner to give them a two goal cushion to take to Mallorca for the second leg.

Once again, it was not vintage, but a thoroughly professional display from a side who can still dream of the treble. Real Mallorca, on the other hand, can now focus all of their efforts onto escaping the bottom three in the Primera Division and preserving their top flight status.

Goals:

Barcelona:
Henry (35'), Marquez (74')

Teams:

Barcelona: Pinto, Dani Alves, Rafa Marquez, Pique, Abidal, Toure, Iniesta, Gudjohnsen (Buquets 55'), Hleb, Henry (Messi 58'), Bojan (Eto'o 86')

Mallorca: Lux, Josemi, Ramis, Nunes, Ayoze, Corrales, Cleber Santana, Scaloni, Castro, Trejo, Webo (Jurado 69')

Ferfgie wants Henry on his side

2008-07-26T19:52:00.000-07:00

English powerhouse Manchester United have reportedly made an approach to sign the powerful striker Thierry Henry from FC Barcelona.

Indeed, the former Gunner has struggled to settle at the Nou Camp and is believed to be far from convinced that new boss Josep Guardiola has the team to challenge for top honours.

According to the reports, Sir Alex Ferguson has identified him as a alternative option if United miss out on top target Dimitar Berbatov from Tottenham Hotspur.

Manchester United's chase of Berbatov has hit a brick wall since Spurs complained to the FA about them, so the french star could have moved up their list of priorities.

Having been one of the best footballers in the Premier League over the last decade during his time at Arsenal, Henry would relish a return to England.

Alex Ferguson's recent comments that Wayne Rooney will be playing in a more central role this season could be a sign that he plans to use him supporting a striker like Thierry Henry or Berbatov up front. Time will tell.

The nasty divorce of Thierry Henry and Claire Merry

2008-07-26T17:42:00.000-07:00

French superstriker Thierry Henry, is preparing himself to fight a nasty divorce battle since telling his ex-wife Claire Merry not to expect cash from him.

Indeed, Merry, Henry's ex-wife, was a former model. She has asked for $20 million in her divorce. Thierry Henry has warned her to expect a tough battle in court.

As we know, Claire Merry, 27, was granted a divorce from Thierry Henry, 30, in September 2007. She discovered raunchy phone text messages in his phone. She also learnt that the popular footballer dated Sadie Hewlett, a makeup artist.

We must consider that Merry and Henry were married for 4 years and have a daughter, Tea Henry. Merry has said that she would take Henry to the cleaners, to get as much money as possible.

Henry visits New York as rumours place him in the MLS

2008-07-04T22:47:00.000-07:00

Now that the Euro 2008 is over, French superstar Thierry Henry is all about taking some time off. And what better place to chill out than New York City?

The Barcelona striker stud was spotted tooling around Manhattan’s Greenwich Village yesterday sporting a white t-shirt with a red tie silkscreened on it, along with a pair of distressed jeans and some retro-red high tops.

Henry then headed over to the SoHo district where he shopped at Union, picking up a red baseball cap before having lunch at Da Silvano restaurant with some friends.

During a recent charity game, Thierry revealed that he’d like to relocate to America and play MLS someday. “Why not? I so love America. I love it here. And whenever I come here, I feel free. Hopefully, one day. You never know what’s going to happen the next day. But at the moment, I’m still over there."

Henry Photo Gallery

2007-09-10T20:53:00.000-07:00

Thierry was named the best player of the EPL.

Against Italy in the World Cup Final.

Showing his new jersey at Barcelona.

Idol and legend of Arsenal FC.

Hnery is commited with his new club.

Thierry is nowadays the most important player of France.

Thierry Henry achievements: Titles and Honours

2007-09-09T09:19:00.000-07:00

AS Monaco F.C.

• Ligue 1: 1996–97
• French Super Cup: 1997

Arsenal F.C.

• FA Premier League: 2001–02, 2003–04
• FA Cup: 2002, 2003, 2005
• FA Community Shield: 2002, 2004
• UEFA Champions League Runner Up : 2006
• UEFA Cup Runner Up : 2000

France national football team

• FIFA World Cup
o Appearances: 1998, 2002, 2006
o Winner: 1998
o Runner-Up: 2006
• European Championship
o Winner: 2000
o Appearances: 2000, 2004
• Confederations Cup: 2003

Personal honours

• European Golden Boot: 2004, 2005
• FA Premier League Top Scorer: 2001–02, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06
• Onze d'Or: 2003, 2006
• PFA Players' Player of the Year: 2002–03, 2003–04
• FWA Footballer Of The Year: 2002–03, 2003–04, 2005–06
• FIFA World Player of the Year
o Runner-up: 2003, 2004
• World XI Striker: 2006

Thierry Henry Wallpapers

2007-09-09T08:59:00.001-07:00

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Thierry Henry Videos

2007-09-07T18:46:00.000-07:00

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2007-09-06T22:05:00.000-07:00

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2007-09-06T21:30:00.001-07:00

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Thierry signed with FC Barcelona for four seasons

2007-06-22T18:19:00.001-07:00

It finally happened. Thierry Henry isno longer an Arsenal player, because Spanish powehouse FC Barcelona paid €24 million (US$32 million) to sign the French superstar.

Despite the words of Barcelona vicepresident Soriano, who said "Talks have advanced but a deal has still not been signed", many newspapers in Spain claim that the deal is closed.

What's more, Thierry Henry's agent, Jerome Anderson, recently denied reports he was negotiating the player's move to the blaugrana squad.

As we know, the popular "Titi" arrived at Arsenal in 1999 from italian Juventus, and became the most important idol in the Gunners' latest decades.

Henry's agent denies an agreement with Barcelona

2007-06-12T20:36:00.000-07:00

According to many unofficial sources, Thierry Henry is really close to sign with Spanish Club Barcelona, but one of his agents claimed otherwise.

Indeed, France Football state that Henry worked out a three-year contract with the Spanish powerhouse worth 5.5 million pounds per season.

Despite the big rumours, Jeff Weston of the ESM Group, which represents Henry, told BBC Radio that simply wasn't true: "No such meeting took place, that is absolute rubbish."

What's more, Weston hinted that agent Jerome Anderson, who negotiates on Henry's behalf, is considering legal action against the magazine that made the publication.

"There has never been any question of him not being at Arsenal FC next season," Weston expressed. "We must understand that it is all just media speculation — as it was last year and the year before."

Is good to mention that Arsenal captain scored 10 goals in 17 Premier League matches for the Gunners before groin and stomach injuries ended his season on March 9.

Thierry Henry is one of the 100 most influential people

2007-05-03T23:03:00.000-07:00

Thierry Henry's talent and popularity are growing everyday. That's why he has been named by Time magazine as one of the world's 100 most influential people.

Indeed, the American magazine first published their list in 1999 and each year honour individuals divided into five categories - Leaders and Revolutionaries, Builders and Titans, Artists and Entertainers, Scientists and Thinkers, and Heroes and Icons.

And Thierry Henry, 29, has been named in the latter section. It's also interesting to know that David Beckham didn't make the list, despite his big-money transfer to Major League Soccer club Los Angeles Galaxy.

Furthermore, NBA star Tony Parker, who captains the French basketball team, praised Henry's contribution to race awareness in sport.

The San Antonio Spurs point guard expressed: "He wants to change the world. It's no secret that European soccer is fighting a racism issue, in the crowd and on the field, and no player has done more to exorcise it than Thierry Henry. His impact has been immense."

It's good to mention that the other big name from European sport in the 2007 edition is world tennis number one Roger Federer, while New York Yankees pitcher Chien-ming Wang and Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy are also present. Good for them.

Despite injuries, Henry will stay at Arsenal

2007-03-16T21:51:00.000-07:00

We know he has said it before, but Thierry Henry admitted he will be staying at Arsenal 'for life' and will not leave despite his injury troubles.

As we know, the French star signed a new four-year contract last year after Barcelona made a concerted effort to capture the France international.

The talented striker insists he will not backtrack on that agreement, again pledging his commitment to Arsene Wenger's team.

In fact, the Gunners captain has endured a frustrating season on the fitness front and it has prompted talk he could quit Emirates Stadium in the last summer.

But Thierry, who will not play again until next term due to groin and stomach injuries, is adamant he is going nowhere.

"I know that people in France and some over here are still saying I am going to leave," Henry told an important newspaper. "But I am not going to leave. Never. I am staying here for life."

"Indeed, I have no intention of walking out on this club, whatever the situation is. At no stage this season have I ever thought about leaving."

"Just because I love this club. I love the fans and I am 100 per cent behind the boss" he concluded.

Henry, Woods and Federer are the new image of Gillette

2007-02-07T12:08:00.000-08:00

Pretty soon we will see Thierry Henry, Tiger Woods and Roger Federer together in TV spots. Indeed, they made a deal with Gillette to be the image of their new advertisement campaigne..

This strategy - combining star power in golf, tennis and football - was announced after the Dubai Desert Classic in which Woods finished two strokes behind winner Henrik Stenson.

Gillette corporation executives declined to say how much the athletes will be paid. Woods already endorses an array of products, and last year renewed his deal with Nike that will pay him about $30 million a year.

In fact, Chip Bergh, Gillette's president of global grooming, said his company selected the three not just because of their success in sports and marketing, but because each embodies "true sporting values" and was a great example off the field.

It's good to mention that Tiger Woods, Federer and Henry posed for photographers with shaving cream, something Woods doesn't have to use all that often.

"Actually, I started shaving a little late. My stubble didn't quite grow in," said Woods, his face red from a sandstorm earlier in the day. "My dad showed me how to do it and I tried to do it just like him. I got foam all over the place."

Thierry Henry, the Frenchman who stars for Arsenal in the English Premier League, said he admired Woods and Federer but had trouble watching golf.

"I would stay up really late to see Tiger Woods play," Henry admitted. "Sometimes, I have to be honest, I did fall asleep."

Arsenal beat Liverpool out of the FA Cup

2007-01-06T23:45:00.000-08:00

Arsene Wenger had only great words for Thierry Henry after his team got a 3-1 FA Cup victory over Liverpool. Indeed, Arsenal knocked holders Liverpool out of the competition this morning with two sweetly-struck goals by Tomas Rosicky and a late Thierry Henry breakaway.

We must consider that it was only Henry's second game back after a seven-match rest, and his goal was a classic.

It's fair to say that Liverpool were two down at the break to a Tomas Rosicky double, but pulled one back through Dirk Kuyt before Thierry Henry embarked on a fine solo run to grab the third and finish off the holders in front of their own fans.

Wenger expressed: "Thierry's goal was great, it was a fine run and he is getting his strength back, that's really important at this level when you have been out for a time.

"Actually, he showed that when he went past two Liverpool defenders and had the legs to do that at a critical time in the game.

"However, we all know he can do that. But the fact that he has worked very hard and can do that in the last 10 minutes says a lot about the effort he has put in.

"I'm convinced that the break has benefited him. At this level you need to have the strength to be able to fight for every ball in such a game, and to do that you need to be fresh mentally.

"When you have been in the final of the Champions League and then the World Cup, it takes it out of you. you know, players are not machines and he needed to be refreshed" the coach noticed.

Henry praises Walcott's performance

2006-12-27T12:57:00.000-08:00

Henry is one of the best players of the world, so when he speaks about football, he is as accurate as on the field. Now he has voiced his support for the new Arsenal talent Theo Walcott, saying that the former Southampton frontman has "something special".

The French star has been reported to have voiced his displeasure to manager Arsène Wenger about not buying experienced personnel, and Walcott himself had not played a Premiership game before this season.

However, the captain of the Gunners is now a Walcott fan, saying that the teenager had great potential.

Indeed, Henry stated: "Theo will be a future star for England, there is no doubt about that. A sign of a great player is that he makes a major impression on you the first time you see him...

"Suddenly, there is this amazing talent with such pace and an incredible first touch, and I said to myself, 'Wow, there is something special here.'

"And now he is stronger, more experienced and he looks at home at this level. You will see him play more and become the star that everybody at Arsenal knows he can become" he finished.

Henry to be out until New Year

2006-12-12T09:51:00.000-08:00

Arsene Wenger expressed that his most important striker, Thierry Henry, is likely to be out until the new year with a hamstring injury.

In fact, Henry has already been troubled by a neck injury but Wenger is more worIn ried by the new problem.

"Thierry Henry has started his rehabilitation," he told to the media. "He's still not completely free with his hamstring but he starts to work again.

"We hope we can build him up and make him competitive again. It's good to know that the neck problem is sorted out. It was sciatic nerve problem but the hamstring is the most troubling at the moment."

When asked if Henry would be out until the new year, Wenger said: "Realistically, certainly yes.

"I wouldn't set a precise timescale as it's difficult to predict but Christmas certainly we will miss him. Furthermore, William Gallas is out for one week, maximum two."

Henry: "I am at Arsenal for life"

2006-12-04T21:48:00.000-08:00

Thierry Henry felt that it was important to speak up. And he assured that his relationship with Arsenal and Arsene Wenger remains strong and confirmed he wants to remain at the club for the rest of his career.

The French star faces up to six weeks out with a sciatic nerve problem, and missing out on the derby win over Tottenham led to him leaving training in frustration on Friday.

In fact, Henry has again denied his reaction was linked to a rift with Wenger, although the pair have differing views on what the club should do in the January transfer window.

While "Titi" Henry stated in his newspaper column that Arsenal's squad should be bolstered, Wenger insists there will be no signings next month when the window opens.

And Thierry, who was linked with a move to Barcelona last season before signing a new four-year deal at the club, has also ruled out ever joining the Catalan giants. The striker assured: "The club have the same ambitions as me.

"Regarding the recruitment in the summer, my confidence was not betrayed. I am at Arsenal for life. I will not go to Barcelona or anywhere else."

Actually, Henry and Wenger were due to meet today to discuss the striker's injury problem which affects his neck.

Arsenal Football Club will be without their talisman for Wednesday's Champions League clash at Porto - he was suspended for the trip to Portugal already - and there are fears he could be out until the new year.

"After having 60 games in 2006, there comes a point when your body says stop," continued Henry. "And it is really necessary to listen to it.

"I am frustrated by that, since I cannot help my team on the football pitch. It is something that I find difficult to accept. But I did not argue with Arsene Wenger."

We must keep in mind that the Gunners only need a point at Porto to qualify for the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League.

Arsenal missed Henry in defeat against Bolton

2006-11-26T19:58:00.000-08:00

It was a really bad thing for Arsenal that Nicolas Anelka finally found his goal touch. Bolton moved up to third place in the Premiership thanks to their 3-1 win over his former club Arsenal FC at the Reebok Stadium.

The French forward had failed to find the target in his first 10 league matches, but he scored twice to sink the Gunners, who slipped to sixth.

We must consider that Wenger's team couldn't have Thierry Henry on their side, because of an injury.

Abdoulaye Faye headed home from El-Hadji Diouf's ninth-minute corner before Anelka's spectacular first in the 45th minute.

He latched on to Kevin Davies' pass, cut in from the left and unleashed an unstoppable, swerving shot into the top corner from 25 yards.

There was still time before the break for Gilberto to pull one back for Arsenal, and despite that Anelka made sure of all three points after 75 minutes when he applied a confident finish to Ivan Campo's well-weighted through-ball.

Henry scores for France in friendly game

2006-11-17T08:55:00.000-08:00

France finished the year with a great result: they beat European champions Greece 1-0 at the Stade de France with a Thierry Henry goal in a friendly on Wednesday.

The Arsenal striker was on target in the 26th minute when he headed home a Willy Sagnol cross from the right to net his 39th goal for the French squad, two shy of Michel Platini's record 41.

We have to say that captain Patrick Viera also had several chances during his 100th cap in a one-sided match against a team who beat France 1-0 in the quarter-finals on their way to winning Euro 2004.

Before kick off the fans paid tribute to the players who helped France get the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 titles.

Platini: "Henry should have gone to Barcelona"

2006-11-05T09:04:00.000-08:00

Former French footballer Michael Platini believes Thierry Henry made a mistake in shunning a move to Spanish powerhouse Barcelona.

The France international forward was tipped to join Barca in the close season, and despite that, he opted to pen a long-term Arsenal deal.

We must mention that Henry has now been with Arsenal since August 1999 and Platini does not believe he has won enough at club level.

Henry has won the World Cup and European championship with France, but is yet to taste UEFA Champions League glory with his club.

And Platini is convinced Henry has not lifted enough silverware with the North Londoners and is unhappy he missed the opportunity to develop further with Barca.

"I sincerely believe he made a mistake in not signing for Barcelona," Platini told a newspaper.

"In fact, I told him so and said the same to Barca president Joan Laporta. Henry would have grown a lot at Barcelona.

"Thierry Henry is a truly great footballer and is on the verge of over-taking me as a goalscorer for France. But he hasn't achieved the same category of other great stars.

"And that's because he lacks playing in a great team and winning titles with his club like he has done with France, where he has been European and world champion."

Henry responds to fans after match with Everton

2006-10-30T15:15:00.000-08:00

Amazingly, Thierry Henry shrugged off barracking from his own supporters after Saturday's 1-1 draw with Everton.

We must know that after 66 minutes of watching Arsenal fighting hard to walk the ball into the net in search of an equaliser to Tim Cahill's 10th-minute strike, fans demanded a bit of old-fashioned welly.

Fans screamed 'shoot' at Henry when they got frustrated over a pass from Tomas Rosicky.

However, Thierry Henry is in no mood to compromise. He announced: "I would die like that, playing that type of football. There are no questions about that, no questions.

"I don't know if Arsenal fans are frustrated. I keep on hearing them shouting 'shoot'.

"I don't know what they're trying to say or trying to do. But I think they're getting sucked in by what some persons are saying.

"We scored some amazing goals at Reading last week and nobody said 'shoot' then. Against Everton, we created the same opportunities but the finishing wasn't what you expect. That's just the way it is.

"I know that fans are fans and like to express the way they feel. That's the way it is but as soon as we came back into the game 1-1, we went forward."

Henry also said: "Everton came with a plan, like Villa and Boro did. It seems we're going to have that all season, they play 4-4-2 everywhere and then when they come to us, it's 4-5-1. We have to deal with it. On the other side it was a lack of concentration that meant we went behind. At the end, this was a point won.

"Once more we started the match by shooting ourselves in the foot by leaving Cahill alone like that for the goal.

"I know he got a bit of luck by controlling it with his stomach and the ball falling right in front of him. But, from the start, he was alone in the box and you simply can't do that.

"Then we had a go - more than a go. But on the other side it was important to not lose the game.

"We know that Everton are just behind us and they would have been two in front if they'd won the match."

Henry mad at the referee

2006-10-19T21:05:00.000-07:00

It was not a happy game for him, so Thierry Henry blasted the referee after his disallowed goal in Arsenal's 1-0 Champions League defeat at CSKA Moscow.

Arsenal thought they had snatched a late equaliser when Henry controlled a deep cross from the right at the far post with his upper chest, and stroked the ball into the net.

But the Spanish referee Manuel Enrique Mejuto Gonzalez ruled the French player had used his arm, ruled out the goal and booked the Arsenal skipper.

Indeed, Henry labelled the decision to deny him a goal "a disgrace", revealing: "The goalkeeper looked at me and had a little giggle about it."

He added of the decision: "I believe that's a disgrace. When I ask the referee what did he see, he can't tell me."

The decision to brandish a yellow card at the Frenchman added to the frustration.

"That means I did it on purpose. I tried to talk to him at the end of the game. He was happy to talk about other stuff with the boss, but not that," said the Frenchman.

It's important to mention that Henry admitted Arsenal had not been at their best. "That's a clear goal for me. I'm sorry, but once again I don't know what to say about it. To give me a yellow card straightaway ... please, we've got the replay" he concluded.

"Scotland has not won the war"

2006-10-09T20:25:00.000-07:00

In an explosive statement, Thierry Henry warned Scotland football team that they may have won one battle but they have not yet won the war.

We msut remember that a Gary Caldwell goal gave Walter Smith's side a dramatic 1-0 victory over the World Cup runners-up in their tense Euro 2008 qualifier at Hampden Park.

The home side were on the back foot for most of the match but enjoyed their fair share of luck before and after the Celtic defender scrambled home the winner in the second half.

Indeed, the Scots lead Group B with nine points from their opening three games and take on Ukraine in Kiev on Wednesday.

But the popular Thierry Henry was less than magnanimous in his analysis of the game.

He said: "We had the opportunity to win but it doesn't matter. What I want to say is that you have to be there at the end and we will see who is going to go through.

"Their fans have waited a long time to see a game like that at Hampden so it was nice for them.

"That was a dramatic loss for us but they still have to come over to our ground and that will be interesting. And they have to go to Ukraine now so we will see what happens.

"I know that we lost the match but that's the way it is in football. We had a couple of chances in the first half, they had one corner in the first half and two in the second and that was enough for them to win the game.

"They stuck to their game plan and set out what they wanted to do so you have to give them credit for that.

"Yes, they got their reward, maybe it wasn't deserved but they got their reward."

"Titi" Henry had the best chance of the game with four minutes to go but could not beat Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordon from barely 10 yards out.

But the French strkier was in no mood to blame himself for his side's defeat.

He said: "Our defenders and midfielders had space but there was no space in the game for me, I had to make my own space.

"I had a chance with a header near the end and I thought about controlling it but I couldn't because I would have had to control it with my hand.

"The ball was going away from me all the time and I was caught in two minds and in the end I didn't even head the ball, it struck my shoulder.

"But it was not down to one chance. It was a clash that could have finished 0-0 but it didn't."

Words of Henry after the game with Middlesbrough

2006-09-11T18:57:00.000-07:00

After another disappointing result, Thierry Henry is truely sad. But he hopes the Gunners' luck will soon start to change. But they continued their winless start to the Premiership season with a 1-1 draw against Middlesbrough at the Emirates Stadium.

In fact, Arsenal have taken only two points from their opening three games of the campaign and Henry admits it has been a very disappointing start to the season.

"I have to say that it's frustrating because you go home knowing you weren't outplayed or outmuscled - but it's a draw again," the Frenchman told the club's official website.

"It's not a lack of concentration, maybe we're just not quite there yet. There's nothing to hide behind, we're not putting the ball in the net.

"I believe that the only thing is we are always 1-0 down and that's not the best way to start a match. I don't know how many games in a row now where a team has one shot on target and it's a goal.

"Keeper Jens (Lehmann) has touched the ball more with his feet than his hands, but that's football. We're not killing the teams we're playing against and they're taking advantage of that.

"We have one encounter in hand that we have to win, plus we have a big game next week and in midweek. I hope our luck will even itself out" he concluded.

Time for revenge: France 3 - Italy 1

2006-09-07T01:46:00.000-07:00

It's hasn't been a long time since they met in the World Cup Final, but France already have had their revenge. A great performance served to exorcise some of the frustration, if not all of the disappointment, that lingered from defeat by Italy in the World Cup final 59 days previously. If the fourth star on the breast of the Azzurri shirts appears to be weighing them down, it only served to inspire the home team last night.

This was a stunning win, Les Bleus propelled by the pace and menace of Franck Ribéry and Thierry Henry, allied to the goals of the forgotten man Sidney Govou. Such was the grace and incision of their possession and passing that France might have managed a haul more usually associated with mismatches against the Faroes or Andorra. In fact, Italy, battered and bemused, were spared the worst but were still ripped to shreds.

We can say that the outpouring of joy on the final whistle, a din to match a breathtaking occasion, reflected a nation's belated satisfaction. La revanche had been on the locals' minds and by the end it was on their lips. The rasped homage echoing around this arena was for "Zizou". Zinédine Zidane will have enjoyed watching from afar even if Marco Materazzi, the player whose remark prompted the playmaker's infamous butt in Berlin, was still suspended.

It was like Zidane was everywhere last night. His name was emblazoned across the fans' shirts, his image flickering down from the big screens above both goals. France rose to the occasion, easing their way to victory with a goal after 70 seconds, volleyed magnificently by Govou at the far post from William Gallas's cross. That set the tone for the evening. "I think it wasn't a perfect performance," said the coach Raymond Domenech. "That would have seen us score with every attack and not concede, but we beat the best in the world, the world champions. That is satisfying."

Only in a brief period after Alberto Gilardino had risen to nod Andrea Pirlo's free-kick beyond an exposed Grégory Coupet did Italy threaten to lead. Some 10 minutes later, Coupet was forced to scurry along his line to prevent Eric Abidal dribbling the loose ball into his own net from Fabio Grosso's skimmed cross, but the Italians never came closer.

At times they betrayed a sluggishness that suggested an underlying lack of motivation, as if their exploits in Germany had left them drained of ambition. More realistically, they were undone by a rustiness born of the fact that the vast majority of this side have yet to start their domestic season, the resumption of Serie A delayed until this weekend by the summer's match-rigging scandal.

The legacy of the postponement is that they resume international duties next month five points behind France and Scotland, their gloom deeper than after Saturday's draw with Lithuania in Naples. Italy have been reduced to a game of catch-up, with Roberto Donadoni's appointment already under intense scrutiny.

They were pierced early here, Claude Makelele capitalising on their inability to clear France's first corner to slip Gallas, who TV replays suggested may have been offside, clear down the left; the centre-back's cross was volleyed beyond Gianluigi Buffon by Govou at the far post.

The Lyon footballer has not played a minute for his club this season, such is his bit-part role at Stade Gerland, and his inclusion last night was prompted by a slight knock to Louis Saha in Georgia at the weekend. He began this game with three goals in 24 appearances; he ended it departing to a standing ovation

Yet it was Thierry Henry and Ribéry who revelled most. The Arsenal striker had not scored since the World Cup quarter-final against Brazil, seven matches previously, but the Azzurri could not contain him once Florent Malouda's swerving drive had been parried by keeper Buffon, with Henry sprinting on to the rebound. The striker had been forced wide but from an unkind angle saw his shot deflected horribly by Fabio Cannavaro's challenge to fizz through the goalkeeper.

The World Cup-winning captain's evening never improved despite Gilardino's riposte and he was left clutching an ice pack to his head after France's two-goal advantage was restored. Willy Sagnol's cross was glorious and headed down and beyond Buffon by Govou, the striker clashing heads with Cannavaro in the process. From then on the Italian supporters' chants of "Campioni" were drowned out, their chorus of "Materazzi" also lost in French celebration.

Lineups:

France: Coupet; Sagnol, Thuram, Gallas, Abidal; Ribéry (Saha, 88), Vieira, Makelele, Malouda; Govou (Wiltord, 75), Henry ·.

Italy: Buffon; Zambrotta ·, Cannavaro ·, Barzagli, Grosso; Semioli (Di Michele, 54), Pirlo, Gattuso, Perrotta ·; Cassano (Inzaghi, 73), Gilardino · (De Rossi, 87).

France beat Georgia 3-0 in Euro qualifier

2006-09-04T00:03:00.000-07:00

In a very nice match, France easely defeated Georgia 3-0. It was their opening Euro 2008 qualifier in Tblisi on Saturday (September 2nd).

Indeed, goals from Florent Malouda and Louis Saha ensured the World Cup runner-ups were 2-0 ahead at the break, while an own-goal from Malkhaz Asatiani, which was later credited to Thierry Henry, just after the restart increased their score.

In fact, France travelled to Tblisi in Georgia for their opening Euro 2008 Group B qualifying match on Saturday.

The World Cup runner-ups were favoured to take maximum points from the game and they did not disappoint.

As early as the seventh minute they were in front thanks to a goal from Florent Malouda.

The Lyon player took a pass from Franck Ribery on the wing and fired a left-footed shot into the bottom corner of the net.

And ten minutes later the visitors doubled their score. Once again Ribery was the provider and Louis Saha calmly struck the ball home.

Arsenal star Thierry Henry could have made it 3-0 to France just before the half-hour mark.

However, the free-kick from the Arsenal striker was just too high and the ball sailed over the crossbar.

Henry would be credited with France's third goal just a minute after the restart, although the ball was actually inadvertently directed into his own net by Georgia fullback Malkhaz Asatiani.

France could well have added to their scoreline.

This opportunity, which fell to Malouda, was one of several they had in the second half. The game was all for France.

A new striker comes to Arsenal

2006-09-01T23:19:00.000-07:00

Brazilian striker Baptista came to Arsenal in a swap deal which saw Jose Antonio Reyes go the other way in a years long loan which will give FC Arsenal the option to buy the player.

Julio Baptista has been speaking for the first time about his move to Arsenal and he says he's here ti win titles.

"For me, I haven`t won anything for some time, it is my hope that I can get a title with Arsenal this season"

"I believe Arsenal is one of the best clubs in Europe. I am very happy to be given the opportunity to come here, where I know the coach a little." he said in an interview with Arsenal official site.

Settling in also shouldn't be a problem for the player as he knows most of the exisiting team members already.

"I know nearly all the players here," he noticed. "I know Gilberto the most from the Brazilian national team and I also know Thierry Henry and Cesc Fabregas. In fact I could probably name all the players."

It's good to know that Arsenal supporters can get their first glimpse of Baptista by buying a ticket to the Brazil vs Argentina clash at Ashburton Grove this weekend.

Honest statement

2006-08-21T23:01:00.000-07:00

Thierry Henry opened up and admitted that he is "no way near" full fitness following his exertions in the last World Cup in Germany.

The talented striker was a key member of the French team that progressed all the way to the final of the showpiece tournament in Germany where they eventually lost to Italy on penalties.

In fact, Henry appeared to lack his usual sharpness in the Gunners' Premiership opener against Aston Villa on Saturday and he claims it is down to a shortage of match fitness.

Henry and Freddie Ljungberg, who was in Sweden's World Cup team, have had minimal preparations in the lead-up to the new season and the Frenchman feels he and the Swede are some way off peak condition.

"I am not even at 60 percent, no way near," Henry told to a newspaper. "While Freddie Ljungberg tried ever so hard, and you have to give him credit for that, he is not fit either.

"Fitness-wise, I need another month. Certainly four or five games.

"Obviously players who were at the World Championship are in a similar position. But, this was only my second football game while it was Freddie's first.

"Our preparation games are league matches rather than pre-season friendly matches."

Arsenal tied 1-1 with Aston Villa

2006-08-21T22:49:00.000-07:00

Arsenal began the Premiership with a grim draw against Aston Villa. The match ended 1-1, and even though Arsenal showed a better football, the rival managed to steal one point in the new Emirates Stadium.

It's fair to say that Arsenal only failed in front of the goalkeeper, otherwise they would have won the game by a clear margin. They had 67% possession and 18 shots on goal, and the Gunners should & could have buried the tie, but nevertheless there were more positives from the game than negatives, the only gripe I would have would be that nasty habit that seems to have followed us from last season of being scared to shoot.

In the first place, Emmanuel Eboue terrorized Villa from start to finish and was by far and away our biggest threat on the day and was magnificent in tear arseing down the flanks, almost scoring on several occasions. However it was Emmanuel Adebayor who almost broke the deadlock when his towering header was turned of the line following a Cesc Fabregas corner.

Arsenal did indeed find the net 3 minutes into first half stoppage when Toure powered home a header from a freekick but only to have it ruled out for offside. Not having had the benefit of seeing a replay I couldn`t say whether or not it was the correct decision.

Against the run of play Aston Villa took the lead after Jens Lehmann flapped at a corner and Olaf Mellberg nodded into an empty net. The Villa fans went crazy and it was something that you could not begrudge them after the torrid times they`ve faced over the past few years.

Arsenal kept on fighting, shot after shot as the Gunners set camp around the Villa penalty area, but when Eboue had a shot parried back to him and his header crashed against the bar, you just got the feeling that it wasn`t going to be our day. But then, Wenger played a master stroke, and after months and months of wait young Theo Walcott was introduced to a standing ovation and the England under 21`s international didn`t let us down.

His impact was almost immediate, he ran riot down the left flank seemingly suffering no nerves as he played in front of a 60,000 strong crowd. His mazy runs and unbelievable pace was what we Gunners have waited so long to see, and it was he who originated the equalizer.

Indeed, Walcott picked up the ball wide on the left, and after nicely skinning the Vila defender on the edge of the box; he floated a beautiful cross to the back stick where Van Persie challenged Samuel for the header, the ball grazed the pair of rising heads and ball dropped beautifully to Bert who rifled an absolute unsaveable snorter into the roof of the net. Chaos erupted inside Ashburton Grove.

Then, Arsenal hit Villa with everything they had, and Thierry Henry came oh so close to giving the Gunners a win that would have been harsh on Villa, but would not have been undeserved.

After al the action, we must say that it was a very one sided draw but both teams worked extremely hard for their point. For me, there were far more positives in the match than negatives ones.

Wenger mad at Domenech

2006-08-20T19:13:00.000-07:00

Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger hit out at Raymond Domenech on Saturday after the France boss played Thierry Henry for the full 90 minutes in the midweek friendly game against Bosnia.

Wenger was furious Domenech did not bring his talismanic striker off during World Cup runners-up France's 2-1 win, especially with the match coming so soon after the tournament in Germany which ended last month.

"It's disrespectful," Wenger told a news conference after Arsenal's 1-1 Premier League draw with Aston Villa at the London club's new Emirates stadium.

"When you rest the players and give them extra holiday because they have been at the World Cup and then they take those footballers on a friendly and play them for 90 minutes...I find that provocative.

"Actually, in the World Cup they always took him off before the end of the game and then they play a friendly and play him for 90 minutes," Wenger finished.

We must mention that Arsenal almost lost on their Emirates debut, with Brazilian player Gilberto Silva scoring a late equaliser after Olof Mellberg had put Villa ahead.

Henry is confident to win a title with Arsenal

2006-08-18T10:06:00.000-07:00

Arsenal star Thierry Henry says he has no regrets over remaining at the Gunners and feels that his team have the talent in their ranks to achieve the titles they're fighting for.

We must remember that the French striker signed a new long-term deal with Arsenal this summer, after agonising over his future in North London for the best part of a year.

"I admitted that if I did wait that long leaving was maybe on my mind but you have to understand and be in my position, when you go out there it was so difficult to leave. It's just that I love the club." Henry expressed.

In fact, Chelsea have held sway in The Premiership for the last two seasons and Henry has great respect for The Blues, but he is looking for Arsenal to mount a stiff challenge this term.

"We have to do what we can to catch them," he believes. "People link Chelsea with money, but they have won the league back to back because they are a really good team.

"It's important to notice that they play well as a team, they fight for each other."

Arsenal will play Dinamo Zagreb without Henry

2006-08-07T21:24:00.000-07:00

Arsenal Football Club is about to play an important clash with Dinamo Zagreb for the Champions League 3rd Qualifier.

That's why the coach has names a team where captain Thierry Henry, German number one Jens Lehmann (who we all knew wouldn't be there)and more importantly, Chelsea left back Ashley Cole, are not included.

In fact, rumours have been rife with regards to a deal going through this week, the grapevine also had it that Wenger was tempted to play Cole in the CL just to cup tie the player, but now it is obvious that Cashley will be out of here within the week, hopefully with Gallas coming in the other way.

Bergkamp talks about Vieira and Henry

2006-07-24T12:10:00.000-07:00

Former Arsenal player Dennis Bergkamp thinks it would be "fantastic" if Arsenal re-signed French midfielder Patrick Vieira.

As we know, Vieira's future is uncertain just 12 months after leaving Arsenal because of Juventus's involvement in the Italian match-fixing scandal that took the club to the second division.

The Dutch striker believes Vieira proved during the World Cup that he is still a top-class midfielder despite a disappointing first season in Turin following a £15million transfer.

In fact, Bergkamp brought down the curtain on his Arsenal career with Saturday's testimonial match against Ajax, and he believes Thierry Henry made the right decision in staying and says Vieira should come back to join his compatriot.

The video in the news showed Bergkamp saying: "I think about 56 people said to me today that Patrick should have another year here and I hope he will.

"Maybe that's not the right thing to say in football but everyone saw what he did in the World Cup and if he can get to that level with Arsenal it would be just fantastic.

"I have a nice relationship with Patrick. We had a good connection even after he left the club to join Juventus and I have a lot of respect for him, as I do for Thierry.

"Thierry is an amazing football player and a strong personality as well, but he always showed so much respect for me which meant a lot. There's a difference in years but we have a huge respect for each other.

"That comes through seeing what he does and how he thinks. I've had that connection with so many players but out of all of them I have the strongest bond with Patrick and Thierry Henry."

Klass-Jan Huntelaar scored for Ajax but Henry - who flew back from his holiday in the US to play - and Kanu made sure Dennis Bergkamp left with a victory as 54,000 fans said goodbye to him a the opening of the club's new stadium.

Bergkamp's father kicked off the game, which was an emotional moment because he has been fighting lung cancer amid fears that he would not be alive to see the game.

The Dutch player who has discussed returning to Arsenal in the future on the coaching staff, said: "It was fantastic for me to have my dad kick off the match because it didn't look as if he would make it.

"He's been there from day one, taking me to every game, and even coming to England for every game. "It's going to be really hard to say goodbye to football after 25 years.

Arsenal jersey returns to Red and White style

2006-07-18T11:45:00.000-07:00

Arsenal greatest star Thierry Henry has talked of his delight in returning to the 'old school' Arsenal jersey colours of red and white.

It's good to mention that like many Gunners, Henry was happy with the Highbury commemorative recurrant strip, but is glad to be back in the traditional Arsenal colours.

"It's nice to go back to red and white, it's like one of the old school shirts," Henry expressed at Arsenal's official kit launch.

"I liked the redcurrant but I think Arsenal for some reason belong in red and white so I'm happy to see it's back."

Henry proud despite Italian victory over France

2006-07-11T21:54:00.000-07:00

His team suffered the most painful defeat in football and he was part of it. But Thierry Henry insisted he felt "proud" despite losing the world's two biggest football games within two months.

As we know, Barcelona came from behind to win the Champions League final in May, and the Arsenal hitman ended up second best to France as Italy clinched a dramatic shoot-out win in the World Cup final.

But "Tití" remained upbeat. "We were going to the final of the Champions League and the final of the World cup - twice nobody thought we were able to do that," Henry claims.

"Of course losing the final is cruel but nobody was seeing us there and nobody was seeing me there. So there is somewhere in my mind where I feel completely proud."

The French frontman admitted defeat was not the end of the world - even though it felt like it.

"I have already had an opportunity to lift the World Cup once so if things were against me I would have lost today," he joked. "I lost the final of the UEFA Cup and then I went on to get the title of the Euro 2000 straight after. Over the years people were saying I could take my team somewhere and I did that in the two most important competitions in the world," he said.

"Unfortunately, losing on penalties is really hard. It can go either way. It went their way and they took some great penalties. That is just the way it is. That is football."

The other French striker, David Trezeguet, was the only player not to find the back of the net in the shoot-out, but the Juventus player cannot be blamed, according to Henry.

"The one of David was not a bad one," he stated. "Just a little bit lower and the ball is in."

About the most incredible incident of the game, Henry was sympathetic towards Zinedine Zidane. The number 10 ended his career in disgrace. The star playmaker was sent off in the 110th-minute for a vicious head-butt on Marco Materazzi.

"It is never easy to finish like that," Henry assured. "He is a grand man and the only thing I can tell him is thank you. Thank you for everything he has done for football. He is not just a great player but also a great personality. We are going to miss him."

Henry's new chance to play in a World Cup Final

2006-07-06T21:33:00.000-07:00

Thierry Henry has the opportunity to be closer to the glory than he was in the 1998 World Cup Final, when he was sitting on the bench.

In fact, the Arsenal striker had played in all six of France's matches before a late sending-off cost him his spot in the 3-0 win against Brazil.

Defender Marcel Desailly picked up his second booking in the 68th minute, which prompted Aime Jacquet to bring on Patrick Vieira instead of another forward.

It looked unlikely at the start of the tournament that Henry would get a second opportunity to play in football's most prestigious game.

Indeed, three weeks ago France looked dead and buried following two sluggish performances in the opening draws against Switzerland and South Korea.

And the French lethal striker admitted that his team desperately needed to "step up their game" to defy their critics.

"It is true that we were not playing well at the start of the World Cup, and people were saying we were too old," the striker expressed. "That was pretty harsh, but as soon as we stepped it up it started to work for us."

A convincing win against Togo then set the pace for glorious performances against Spain, Brazil and Portugal.

"We were not listening to what people were saying," he finished.

"We were completely concentrated on playing as a team. That is what the team is all about. We never cared about our critics - we just got it done."

It's important to know that Henry paved the way for France's semi-final victory over Portugal by earning a 33rd-minute spot-kick after Ricardo Carvalho had brought him down in the box. Zinedine Zidane gently placed the penalty past the fast Ricardo to ignite ferocious attacks from the Portuguese.

"We defended like lions," Thierry Henry claims.

"It was not at all an easy win. It was very hard but we were very efficient."

France now take on Italy for what could be another classic meeting, and the Arsenal forward has predicted a tight battle.

"It will be a close game against Italy - nobody expected anything from them (before the tournament) either. We all saw what they did to the Germans and how they worried them. They are a really good squad. We just don't know what will happen in the final."

Henry is closer to heaven after French victory over Brazil

2006-07-04T09:14:00.000-07:00

France surprised everyone when they beat the superfavorite Brazil and qualified for the semifinals, eliminating the Southamerican team. It was one of the most brilliant nights of Zidane, and the goal was scored by... Who else? Thierry Henry.

Now it's amazing to remember that when the World Cup began, France were an ageing collection of has-beens, split by internal arguments and sentimentally accommodating the man formerly known as the greatest Zizou. And in just five games, everything changed.

In fact, they have steadily improved as the tournament has gone on, a progression that culminated with Thierry Henry scoring the winning goal. And this from a player who apparently goes missing in big matches.

But it's fair to say: this is a myth that needs to be dispelled. Along with Ronaldinho, Henry is the best player in the world. He does things that other players just can't. He is one of those different ones.

A converted winger, the French striker played as a lone frontman for much of last season at Highbury, and still managed 33 goals in 44 games, including strikes against Juventus and Real Madrid - which probably just about classify as big derbies.

What's more, he captained a young and inexperienced team to the Champions League final, and displayed a rarely seen loyalty by staying with Arsenal when brighter and more glamorous options were available.

We can say that Henry has arguably been one of the few stars that has done his job in this World Cup. With the confidence of his team growing around him, Henry could make short work of a Portugal defence that could barely contain England's meagre attack, even after Wayne Rooney's red card.

"I'm not a cheater"

2006-06-28T22:58:00.000-07:00

Before the important derby between France and Brazil, many words in the newspapers suggested that Henry faked a foul in the game with Spain. Thierry Henry says he didn't cheat to win the free-kick which led to his side's second goal in their 3-1 World Cup victory over Spain.

We must remember that the striker fell to the pitch and clutched his face after he collided with Carles Puyol and Puyol claimed the referee had made the wrong decision, saying: "If anything it was a foul by Henry."

But Henry, defending himself against the allegation, expressed: "Spain's left-back Mariano Pernía was going to win the ball so I don't know why Puyol cut across me, but he did. I don't cheat."

What's more, coach Luis Aragones agreed with Carles Puyol, saying that the clash with Thierry Henry didn't deserve a free-kick: "For me the referee (Italian Roberto Rosetti) blew for a non-existent foul for the second goal," he said.

France is still alive

2006-06-23T22:30:00.000-07:00

The situation was just about to be tragic, but France remembered that they were once World Champions, and got the victory over Togo. The 2-0 win is barely enough to qualify for the round of 16.

The French goals were scored by Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry, just when the game was in the most critical part for the former European Champions.

Thierry Henry had a good performance, but he missed a couple of chances to score. He played alongside David Trezeguet in a surprising decision from coach Domenech.

We can say that it was a strange 34th birthday for Zinedine Zidane but an enjoyable one in the end, because he will be able to continue in this World Cup.

In fact, this is their first World Cup victory since they stunned Brazil 3-0 in the 1998 final will enable Zidane, who will retire after the tournament and missed this encounter through suspension, to play at least one more match.

Critics over French coach

2006-06-22T09:48:00.000-07:00

France is seriosly in danger after their 1-1 draw with South Korea, and everybody is throwing critics on the coach and the team for their performance in the World Cup.

Even Arsenal coach, Arsène Wenger, who has criticised France manager Raymond Domenech over his tactics on deploying Thierry Henry as a lone striker.

In fact, Wenger stated: "I feel sorry for Thierry because he was left isolated as a lone striker and did not get enough help."

"I know that Thierry can play that role and has done it to good effect, but if the squad is not playing well and you do not get service it is impossible."

"I still believe France will go through by beating Togo but they have to find the right team and formation right now."

"They look like a squad which needs confidence and to believe in themselves because they have a lot of quality."

France's dissapointing draw in World Cup debut

2006-06-13T18:36:00.000-07:00

French debut was one of the most expected ones of the World Cup. But the 1998 World Champions only got a 0-0 draw with Switzerland on Tuesday. The result was dissapointing for France supporters and for the team as well.

"We already knew it would not be easy, but we managed to take two points off a direct rival," coach Raymond Domenech admitted about the one point the Swiss got instead of three for a win. "I regret that we did not score when we had the opportunity, but we are always at the mercy of these things. The refereeing was not always understandable, even though it is top-level refereeing. Sure, it's a shame, but we have to put up with it."

Thierry Henry dind't save from the critics. He headed one good chance hopelessly too high and virtually passed two shots to Swiss goalkeeper Pascal Zuberbuehler.

So "Titi" Henry also complained about referee Valentin Ivanov of Russia. Henry thought France should have had a penalty when Swiss defender Patrick Mueller accidentally stopped a shot from Franck Ribery with his left hand.

"Once again the referee didn't see it and it came at a moment in the game when we were really on top," Henry stated. "I know that the rule is hand-to-ball, but if the ball hits the hand and it stops it going in, that must be a penalty."

A victory over Denmark boosts French hopes

2006-06-01T23:38:00.000-07:00

A really nice goal by Thierry Henry and a late Sylvain Wiltord penalty shot gave France a 2-0 win over Denmark in a World Cup warm-up match on Wednesday.

In a very good result for their fans, France offered a more convincing show than in a laboured 1-0 victory over Mexico on Saturday but looked nervous at times against opponents who failed to qualify for the Cup.

"Victories now don't really count but it's always nice to win," France coach Raymond Domenech expressed.

"I don't really have any concerns. I know how good the players in this group are. There's still some fine-tuning to do before it gets real."

We must remembert that Henry rested against Mexico. For his goal, he raced into the box to collect a headed pass from fellow striker Louis Saha and beat Denmark goalkeeper Jesper Christiansen from close range on 12 minutes.

It's good to notice that it was Henry's 32nd international goal in his 77th appearance, which makes the Arsenal forward the most prolific scorer in France's current squad ahead of David Trezeguet, who has scored 31.

Striker Wiltord doubled the advantage on 76 minutes after fellow substitute Franck Ribery, who thrilled the Lens crowd on his second appearance for the "Bleus", was brought down in the box.

Henry rests in France win over Mexico

2006-05-28T23:44:00.000-07:00

In their last preparation match in Paris, France defeated Mexico by 1-0 and got more confidence to face the challenge of winning the World Cup.

The only goal of the encounter was netted by Florent Malouda in the last minute of the first half. France biggest star Thierry Henry was rested by France coach Domenech.

France, who won the World Cup in 1998 but disappointed four years later, will play against Switzerland, South Korea and Togo in their World Cup group. And Mexico share group D with Iran, Portugal and Angola.

It wasn't a happy ending

2006-05-18T10:09:00.000-07:00

Thierry Henry was back in his birthplace, Paris. When the Final Game of the Champions League finished, he wasn't happy at all. Barcelona defeated Arsenal 2-1 and took the title to Spain.

Arsenal scored the first in the 37th minute through Sol Campbell. It was a very good sign since goalkeeper Jens Lehmann was sent off 19 minutes earlier. However, goals by Samuel Eto'o and Juliano Belletti within six minutes in the second half gave Barcelona the title.

Thierry Henry didn't completed a good performance, and the expected duel between him and Ronaldinho didn't finished good for the French striker. In fact, Henry missed two clear chances in front of goalkeeper Valdez.

Now Thierry will have more time to decide his future, either at Arsenal or somewhere else.

Henry focused on the Final, not on his future

2006-05-14T12:05:00.000-07:00

Thierry Henry wont be thinking about his Arsenal future on Wednesday as he will be too focused on winning the Champions League final, according to Arsene Wenger.

Arsenal face Spanish champions Barcelona in Paris on Wednesday night, when the two giants go head-to-head in the Champions League last game.

In fact, the result could well play a vital part in the decision of captain Henry whether to pledge his long-term future to Arsenal, who are set to move to their new 60,000-seater Emirates Stadium over the summer.

We must remember that Thierry Henry still has a year to run on his current contract and will make his intentions known before he departs for the World Cup in Germany.

Wenger, though, does not believe that in itself will have any bearing on the way Henry will approach the clash itself.

"No matter what the player does in July, when you go to a European Cup final you do not worry about that - you worry to bring the trophy back," said the Gunners manager.

"I am really convinced that Thierry will stay, but he has not yet come out and say it.

"But on Wednesday game no one cares about that - you want to just go there and win it together."

Good bye, Highbury!

2006-05-10T19:10:00.000-07:00

Thierry Henry didn't want to leave the field once the 4-2 win over Wigan was over. He knew it would be the last time he could do that at Highbury.

After six seasons running on this grass, Henry honored Highbury with a delicate kiss of the turf. That was his hat-trick celebration against Wigan.

“My celebration said it all, I kissed the ground goodbye.” Henry admitted.

Having reluctantly walked off the pitch long after most of his team-mates had gone home, the French player explained why the ground was a little more special to the more senior members of the club.

“I believe it's was a bit strange everyone left like that,” he said.

“But at the end of the day I realized that some of the players in the squad are really young and haven't won a lot here, so maybe it was less special for them.

“But you see, Dennis Bergkamp is still here, I'm still here, Ashley Cole was there. Some of us who played a long time here were sitting there enjoying it. Me and Ashley were saying to ourselves ‘we don't want to leave’. Highbury is just a special place.”

“I'm going to go home now, to chill - and now I'm definitely starting to focus in the Champions League Final,” he finished.

Arsenal in the Final

2006-04-25T20:46:00.000-07:00

There's no doubt it was goalkeeper Jens Lehmann most beautiful night. He was Arsenal's hero as they reached the final of the Champions League after a 0-0 draw against Villarreal.

The German number one stopped Juan Roman Riquelme's 89th minute penalty as the Gunners hung on to progress 1-0 on aggregate and will now play in Paris on May 17th against the winner of Barcelona vs AC Milan.

Thierry Henry's team had hung on for much of the match as they sat back and created little in the way of opportunities for themselves.

The Gunners suffered an early blow as Mathieu Flamini was forced off inside the opening seven minutes and Gael Clichy, returning for his first appearance since breaking his foot in November, replaced him.

Despite Arsenal's cautious approach, the Spanish side's first real chance didn't arrive until the 17th minute when good play on the Villarreal left created the chance for Sorin but the Argentine hit his shot from ten yards straight at keeper Lehmann.

Also Guillermo Franco was close to gave Villarreal the lead on the night five minutes before the break as he got the wrong side of Kolo Toure but Lehmann saved well from his header.

The Yellow submarine increasingly threatened in the second-half and Franco and former Manchester United striker Diego Forlan both had great chances to draw the Spanish side level.

However, when it seemed as if the Gunners might just hang on, a long ball into the area saw Clichy make the slightest of contacts with substitute Jose Mari and the referee awarded the penalty.

It was Lehmann to the rescue though as he kept out Riquelme's penalty low to his left to help Arsenal FC reach the final game.

Arsenal walking to the final

2006-04-19T23:41:00.000-07:00

Highbury Park hosted it's last international game with an epic result in the greatest moment of Arsenal's history. Thierry Henry's team got a 1-0 win over Villarreal and is closer to the Champions League Final. Kolo Touré scored his first goal of the season, and the most important in his career.

However, Manuel Pellegrini, Villarreal's coach, departed this first leg with a grievance because the referee Konrad Plautz had denied his side the chance to equalise with a penalty spot in the 45th minute when he did not realise that Gilberto Silva had brought down José Mari from behind.

The first half showed Arsenal dominating the game, and creating many good chances to score, mainly with Robert Pires and Thierry Henry. But it was Kolo Touré the one that signed the winning goal.

It's important to say that the second half opened with Arsenal relishing their lead and reeling off commanding moves. Following a bout of passing on the right involving Hleb and Pires, Emmanuel Eboué was released. Indeed, his low cross went slightly behind Henry and the forward lifted his finish enough for Arzo to head clear.

The pressure, however, did not drop. Though keeper Lehmann had to dive to save Marcos Senna's long-range shot after 68 minutes, Villarreal were still struggling to cause alarm. If this match did not feel as if it was as great an occasion as, say, the match against Real Madrid, that was because of the lack of tension.

Manager Wenger, contemptuous of the idea that he should wrench his system out of shape by man-marking even a performer of Roman Riquelme's capabilities, was vindicated. Yes, there remained the usual anxieties of the closing stretch of a game to be negotiated but the Gunners never faltered. Another excellent performance next week will ensure their spot in the final.

Arsenal is ready to face Villarreal

2006-04-17T00:20:00.000-07:00

We can say that Thierry Henry's teammates will not feel they are upstarts if they get into the final, although Arsene Wenger's young side have already surpassed expectations by taking Arsenal further than they have been before.

In the other hand, Villarreal have also broken new ground with every round they have played in their debut Champions League season and are unbeaten in nine meetings with British sides.

The game pits Frenchman Wenger's pan-European connection against a South American-inspired Spanish club from a small coastal town which lies between Barcelona and Valencia.

Juan Roman Riquelme will try to prise open an Arsenal defence that has not conceded one goal in eight Champions League matches dating back to September.

"I find this a complicated tie, like the previous one against Inter Milan," the Argentine said referring to Villarreal's quarter-final win on away goals.

"Arsenal are a club with great players and (striker Thierry) Henry is the one who makes the difference," Riquelme admitted.

We must say that Riquelme's midfield tussle with Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas is in doubt with the Spanish teenager nursing a foot injury.

His absence would deal a severe blow to Arsenal's chances after he showed a maturity beyond his years in the wins over Real Madrid and Juventus in previous rounds.

New Sponsor

2006-04-12T23:12:00.000-07:00

French star Thierry Henry has always been one of the most important images of Nike. But now he signed a contract with rival sponsor Reebok, shocking the football brands world.

It's important to mention that Paul Harrington, the president and chief executive of Reebok, announced: "We will market him in ways that demonstrate to Europe and the world the perfect fit that lies between Reebok and Thierry.

"His public stance against racism and his commitment to social issues outside of football fits our 'I am what I am' brand campaign."

In fact, Reebok company was bought by Adidas-Salomon in a £2.1bn deal, increasing Adidas' market share but still dwarfed by Nike's majority share in the business.

Arsenal eliminate Juventus and reach semifinals

2006-04-05T23:13:00.000-07:00

Thierry Henry was elated at the end of the game. He gave a big hug to Ljungberg, and felt glad that he didn't leave Arsenal for this season. His team finished 0-0 with Juventus and moved to the semifinals of the Champions League for the first time in history.

Despite the bad position in the Premier League, Wenger's team proved they have composure and communication. A squad full of new talents, got the best achievement. The quarter-finalists, boasting the youngest average age, were also displaying the most maturity.

Juventus struggled all the game but Arsenal kept control of the midfield, with Fabregas and Ljungberg always precise and strong. And Thierry Henry was the best manager of the game, playing at a great level.

"Tonight we played in a restricted way," Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger claims. "We didn't play with freedom when we had the ball, but we were in control, and that's the most important thing."

Ready to beat Aston Villa

2006-04-01T03:37:00.000-08:00

Arsenal FC has in Thierry Henry their most important weapon to defeat Aston Villa on Saturday. The team wants to reach the fifth place of the English Premier League.

The morale of the squad is higher than ever after their win over Juventus in the Champions League. That result gave them big chances to be in the semifinals.

However, Arsenal can't use Bergkamp, Ljungberg and Campbell who all have injury problems. Thierry Henry will start despite the Champions League quarter final looming in midweek. Cole, Cygan and Lauren are all injured.

"It's good to win"

2006-03-21T22:08:00.000-08:00

Arsenal was in the fourth place of the English Premier League at the time Thierry Henry spoke in the tunnel at Highbury after the 3-0 win over Charlton on Saturday. They dropped to fifth a few hours later after Tottenham beat Birmingham but just returning to the Champions League places - at least for a while - was good enough for the Frenchman. And, anyway, he believes this particular race will not be restricted to north London.

“We have not seen fourth spot for a very long time,” Thierry Henry noticed. “That's why I see it was very important.

“At the end of the day, I am already thinking ahead. We will see what Tottenham are going to do in the game now, but it is better to be where we are now than where we were before.

“Also fans are forgetting to talk about Bolton and Blackburn too, because everyone is saying it is an Arsenal-Tottenham fight.

“However, Bolton have two games in hand, and if they win those, they are going to be flying. It is going to be a tough fight, so we will have to see.”

Two goals were enough

2006-03-13T21:07:00.000-08:00

Thierry Henry scored two amazing goals (amazing in different ways) and Arsenal downed Liverpool 2-1 on Sunday, while two goals from Wayne Rooney gave Manchester United a 2-0 win over Newcastle in the English Premier League.

His first goal was a great move where the French player showed all his class and power to cross the ball on the run. The result was a very bautiful goal. And the second scoring was amazing as well, but because of a huge mistake.

In fact, Henry punished a rare blunder from Steven Gerrard to score the winner at Highbury, as Arsene Wenger's side moved up two places to fifth and within two points of Tottenham.

Steven Gerrard played a back pass toward goalkeeper Pepe Reina, but Henry intercepted to round the 'keeper and score with seven minutes to go.

The French striker celebrated his goal by running around the field holding his nose.

He claimed it was nothing disrespectful toward Liverpool, but to mark the fact that he had sniffed out the chance.

Beckham claims Thierry Henry will stay at Arsenal

2006-02-27T15:25:00.000-08:00

The French Superstar Thierry Henry has still not agreed a deal to remain with Arsenal FC, although he did say earlier this year that he does want to extend his stay with the club past the end of next season.

As we know, Barcelona and Real Madrid have been linked with a summer swoop for the player, and whilst Beckham would love Henry at the Bernabeu, he is firmly of the opinion that he will stay with the Gunners.

“As a friend I'd like him to come here. However, I know he is happy in London with Arsenal," said David Beckham. "He wants to stay at Highbury and when he's performing like that who can blame the fans, manager and the rest of the team for wanting to keep him."

Fantastic Henry leads Arsenal victory over Real Madrid

2006-02-24T01:07:00.000-08:00

Arsenal, thanks to an archetypal solo effort from Thierry Henry, sealed a 1-0 victory over Real Madrid in the Santiago Bernabeu - but Liverpool can not do the same as they succumbed to a late header from Benfica's Luisao.

Henry inspired Arsenal all evening and the just goal just two minutes into the second half was a stunning individual effort.

It's important to notice that the Gunners skipper picked up the ball just over the halfway line, he then shrugged off Ronaldo, Alvaro Mejia and Guti before side stepping Sergio Ramos and firing left footed low past Iker Casillas.

In fact, the victory was no more than Arsenal warranted after a terrific display in the Spanish capital as Real were far from their best.

England's Jonathan Woodgate limped off the pitch just over ten minutes in with a recurrence of a hamstring problem - and Real struggled throughout following his withdrawal.

In fact, Arsenal will now be firm favourites to book a place in the next round when they meet next month.

Arsenal to face Real Madrid: The best version of Thierry Henry needed

2006-02-21T10:09:00.000-08:00

Arsene Wenger hopes captain Thierry Henry will turn on the style as his injury-hit Arsenal side bid to save their season at nine-times European champions Real Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League.

Arsenal are five points adrift of north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the race for fourth place in the Premiership, and they know that the biggest prize in European club football is their only chance of silverware this season.

However, their hopes of taking something from the first leg of their clash with Real Madrid at the Bernabeu tonight seem to rest increasingly on talismanic hitman Henry as Wenger is deprived of whole host of stars, including Sol Campbell, Ashley Cole, Robin van Persie, Lauren and Gael Clichy.

Wenger believes that Henry will stay

2006-02-07T22:19:00.000-08:00

Arsenal coach Arsène Wenger believes Thierry Henry will stay at the club after being offered a four-year contract extension that would make him the highest-paid player at the club.

Tempted by Barcelona, Henry scored his 200th goal for Arsenal in their 2-0 win over Birmingham City on Saturday but the rumours over whether he is staying or going in the summer continues to sound.

But manager Wenger reckons the France international, who joined from Juventus in 1999, will accept the deal on offer and continue writing his name into the club's history books for years to come.

Thierry Henry: "We are learning the lesson the tough way"

2006-01-30T13:56:00.000-08:00

Frenchman Thierry Henry is convinced that Arsenal are paying a hard big price for their mistakes this season.

Henry was disconsolate as he spoke after Tuesday’s heartbreaking exit from the Carling Cup with a defeat against Wigan. Arsenal were on the cusp of another trip to Cardiff before Jason Roberts profited on hesitancy in the home defence to fire in from close range.

“I believe it's a reflection of our season right there,” said "Titi". “It is not easy to take. That's for sure. I know they had a lot of chances to score but we had a lot of opportunities.

“On the other side it went harder with the goal we conceded. We conceded the same goal at Everton when maybe we were not playing that good but it looked like we were going to get back to a nice position.

“It was a long ball not exactly looking for some one. It would have been sweeter if they had scored with one of their better chances.

“I think when you play like we did — desire, commitment and creating chances — there is nothing to say about it. I thought we played tremendously at times.

“At the moment we are falling in mistakes we cannot afford. We are learning the hard way and it is a bit difficult to swallow.

We must consider that Henry is set to miss Saturday’s trip to Bolton in the FA Cup Fourth Round. Arsenal FC have already lost at the Reebok Stadium this season in the Premiership, the Frenchman believes it is imperative to get some consistency back on their travels.

“For us it is really important to get points away from home,” he said. “As you saw [on Tuesday] we can play great football but we need to get back on track away from home and make sure we can grab that fourth place in the Premiership.”

Dein will do anything to keep Henry at Arsenal

2006-01-22T07:14:00.000-08:00

Arsenal FC vice-chairman David Dein stated that he is willing to do anything to keep French striker Thierry Henry at the club.

Once again, speculations around Henry's future in north London started to talk about a new ckub in the Frenchman career. However, he announced recently that he wanted to stay at Arsenal and sign a new contract.

Titi Henry wanted assurances that the club was moving forward and matching his ambitions before committing to a new contract and Dein has promised Arsenal fans that he will do whatever it takes to keep the captain happy.

'You know where we are with Thierry after he came out publicly and said he wants to stay at the Gunners, and we really want him to stay,' Dein said.

'We are doing everything to ensure we both achieve our objectives and we are in advanced stages of that process.'

The striker is seen as vital to the future success of Arsenal, with many commentators believing that Arsenal would struggled to compete for trophies without him.

Manager Arsene Wenger has splashed the cash during the last two weeks in an attempt to strengthen the Gunners' squad, with a teenager Theo Walcott the latest name to arrive at Highbury.

Dein believes that the club is matching Henry's ambition and a deal with be reached to secure the captain's long-term deal.

'We can just show ambition by what we are doing, we are building a 60,000-seater stadium and bringing in talent,' Dein added.

'He will not get a better financial offer than he will get from Arsenal and when Thierry knows he's ready he knows where we are.'

Meanwhile, new Arsenal signing Emmanuel Adebayor has vowed to quit Togo's African Cup of Nations squad after reportedly falling out with team coach Stephen Keshi.

Henry brights in Arsenal victory over Middlesbrough

2006-01-15T21:30:00.000-08:00

Thierry Henry is an idol for Arsenal. Even more now, after his three goals in the victory 7-0 over Middlesbrough. The London team was excellent in all his lines.

In this game Pires, José Antonio Reyes and Fredrik Ljungberg excelled, but it was Thierry Henry, inevitably, who caught the eye with a performance that was a privilege to behold. “You felt today when he decided to do something, he could,” Arsène Wenger said. “Anything he wants.”

Henry’s insistence that he will extend his deal at Arsenal provided “the club can match my sporting ambitions” still draws some scepticism, but the manager believes that it must be “a matter of weeks rather than months” before a deal is concluded. Coach Wenger thought that it was no coincidence that such a performance should have come on the back of Henry’s declaration of loyalty. “I feel he is more free,” Wenger said.

He thinks “It has cut inhibitions inside the team and for him as well. You can clearly feel that. There were always negative vibes before. It was never ‘will Thierry stay?’ more ‘Thierry will go’. There was uncertainty and, when you are concerned, it weighs you down.”

Maybe the knowledge that the Gunners had spent some cash in the transfer market had as well buoyed the captain. Emmanuel Adebayor and Vassiriki Abou Diaby have been secured for a combined total of £10 million and Walcott’s signing should be confirmed in the next two days at a fee of £12 million — £5 million up front, with the rest dependent on appearances for club and country — which would make him the most expensive 16-year-old footballer in the sport’s history.

Henry stays in Arsenal - Fans and Wenger elated

2006-01-08T15:19:00.000-08:00

Thierry Henry comfirmed that he will continue playing in Arsenal. He says he is ready to stick with the Gunners for life.

The decision caused great happiness un the fans and the coach Arsene Wenger as well, who plans to build the team strategy around Thierry.

The Frenchman had been strongly linked with a summer move to FC Barcelona. The speculations ended up with his decision of stay in Arsenal, who move to their new Emirates Stadium next season.

However, there is no direct confirmation from Henry that he will sign an extension to his present deal, which expires in 2007. But his stated desire to help Arsenal create a force to compete with the best in the Premiership and Europe is an indication his love for the club.

He said to a local newspaper: "The truth is I love this club and I've made my mind up to stay.

"All my fans and the people who care about me can knmow that I want to lead the team out in the new stadium.

"There was just too many ridiculous speculation. But the truth is this: I never spoke with or met with a single person from any other team at any time.

"This will put an end to all the rumours and now we can move on. If I do commit myself for life, I hope the club and the board will - the same way as I do."

Titi admitted he was tempted to leave the team for a new experience, but he was persuaded to stay by the Gunners faithful.

He opens his heart: "Obviously I did think about leaving Arsenal, but when I see the fans and the way they talked to me, it helped make my decision.

"They waited for me to make my decision. They didn't boo me or make life difficult for me on the pitch, and that's great."

Henry Scored Twice in Arsenal Victory

2005-12-29T15:25:00.000-08:00

Four first-half goals helped Arsenal FC to a comfortable win over Portsmouth at Highbury Park. Thierry Henry was the showman as he scored two of them.

The Portsmouth fans feared an embarrassing ending in north London at half-time as their team had no answer to the Gunners in the first half.

Thierry Henry double scoring and the goals of Dennis Bergkamp and Jose Antonio Reyes put Arsenal on course for a big win but Redknapp's side managed to salvage some pride with a defiant second-half showing.

The Gunners recalled Dennis Bergkamp, Robert Pires and Mathieu Flamini against an unbalanced-looking Portsmouth side on a freezing evening at Highbury. Pompey coach Harry Redknapp dropped forward Dario Silva and midfielder Gary O'Neil while also leaving out skipper Dejan Stefanovic, who has been playing despite his injury.

Despite being without the suspended Laurent Robert he handed first starts in his second reign to defenders Aliou Cisse and Brian Priske and recalled Colombian midfielder John Viafara to the starting squad.

Followinf the last results (a defeat at Spurs, a win over West Brom and a draw with West Ham), Redknapp was gambling against the odds of a massive loss in north London to keep key players fresh for Saturday's home six-pointer against Fulham.

Spanish Reyes had Arsenal's first shot and although it failed to trouble keeper Jamie Ashdown, it was the Spaniard who set up the chance that put the Gunners ahead two minutes later.

He coasted on to Flamini's pass down the left, held off a challenge and cut the ball back for Bergkamp to drill in his first Premiership goal of the campaign.

UEFA wants Henry to meet coach Aragones

2005-12-15T16:07:00.000-08:00

In a new effort to fight racism, French striker Thierry Henry is being urged by UEFA to meet Spanish national coach Luis Aragones, who was fined €3,000 for calling him a “black ****”.

The UEFA board want Henry to meet Aragones at a Soccer Against Racism event which will take place in Barcelona in February.

UEFA chief executive Lars-Christer Olsson said: “We hope this event to surpass any anti-racist initiative we have held before and a gesture like this would do everything to help.”

Luis Aragones made his comments to Jose Reyes last October during a training session ahead of a World Cup qualifying game against Belgium, with a television crew capturing his outburst.

Barcelona try again for Thierry Henry

2005-12-15T16:03:00.000-08:00

FC Barcelona have made a fresh approach to Arsenal for their french striker Thierry Henry. President Joan Laporta made contact with Arsenal directors in London this week seeking information on their options to sign Titi.

Once again, Arsenal said Henry was not for sale. But the Frenchman is delaying all contract talks until June, and Barcelona board is convinced the Frenchman is seriously considering parting company with the Gunners.

At the same time, some sources close to the player say he fancies a move to Barcelona and a life in Spain.

Ronaldinho invites Henry to join Barcelona

2005-12-15T15:58:00.000-08:00

Ronaldinho Gaucho thinks it would be great for the world of football if Thierry Henry joined Barcelona, although David Beckham says it would be "amazing" if he opted for Real Madrid.

The French superstar is being strongly linked with a move to Spain next year as speculation increases that he will refuse to sign a new contract at Arsenal unless he gets assurances that they will compete for honours.

FC Barcelona are thought to be keen on the Gunners main striker and newly-crowned European Footballer of the Year Ronaldinho told France Football: "That would be perfect."

"He's an extraordinary forward. All the good football players are welcome. We would be stronger with him."

The Brazilian striker also tipped Thierry Henry to follow in his footsteps in winning the Ballon D'Or, saying: "Thierry Henry would deserve to win it one day because he finished among the best in the vote several times.

"He's one of the best players in the world and he must be able to win it over the next few years."

Newcastle United beats Arsenal 1-0

2005-12-10T12:00:00.000-08:00

Peruvian Nolberto Solano scored eight minutes from the end of the game, and gave Arsenal their second successive defeat in the Premiership at St James’ Park on Saturday.

Arsenal dominated the first half, when even a shot of Thierry Henry was saved by Shay Given. But the game changed 12 minutes after the restart when Gilberto fouled Jean-Alain Boumsong and received his second yellow card. Newcastle had already started the second half at pace but the numerical advantage was to tell late in the match.

Henry's team failed to clear their lines and a stumbling Alan Shearer fed Solano on the right of the area. The Peruvian buried the chance with a impressive cross-shot.

Coach Wenger reverted to a more usual line-up after Wednesday’s shuffle for a Champions League tie against Ajax that had meant nothing in terms of qualification.

The returnees were Jens Lehmann, Gilberto, Freddie Ljungberg, Fabregas, Robin Van Persie and Campbell. Manuel Almunia, Emmanuel Eboue, Seb Larsson, Quincy and Jose Antonio Reyes made way; although the Spanish striker had picked up a thigh injury against the Amsterdam side.

Maybe the most interesting options concerned those who stayed in the side. Alexander Hleb, whose hour against Ajax was his first action for nine weeks, moved from central midfield to the left and, with Pascal Cygan (groin) injured, Wenger retained Lauren at left back. Kolo Toure covered the Cameroonian at right back with Philippe Senderos slotting in at centre half.

The begining was slow with neither side imposing themselves on the proceedings. Arsenal had greater possession but Newcastle had the better of the rare half-chances.

However, the visitors cranked up the pressure. In the 15th minute, Gilberto’s goalbound header from Van Persie’s corner was cleared back to the Brazilian. He fly from 10 yards and the ball hit Newcastle defender Titus Bramble on the hand. Referee Dermot Gallagher waved play on.

The next chance that came Thierry Henry’s way should have been converted. The cross from Fabregas on the right was great and the Arsenal captain made fierce contact at the near post. They had done nothing wrong, it was just that Given pulled off a stupendous point-blank save, thrusting out a hand to his left and diverting the ball around the post for a corner.

A minute later Ljungberg crossed from the same flank and Henry, under pressure from Boumsong miskicked at the far post.

Arsenal were starting to knock the ball around with confidence and retain possession with ease. The “olè’s” even sprung forth from the visiting fans at one point as their side kept the ball for the best part of four minutes.

Titi Henry nearly twisted himself some space after the half hour but Boumosng dispossessed him at the vital second. Just before the break, Ljungberg inadvertently blocked Van Persie’s goalbound shot.

Inbetween those efforts, the precise Shola Ameobi fed Michael Owen and the England striker’s low ball trundled unconverted across the Arsenal six-yard box.

Newcastle were a transformed side after the interval. They started throwing crosses and free-kicks into the area. Lehmann punched clear from Solano’s effort and Scott Parker thumped a pair of long-range shots over the bar.

But the clash changed on the hour, Gilberto was fooled by Boumsong and the Brazilian caught the French international with his trailing leg. Referee Gallagher brandished a yellow card to Gilberto, who had been booked on the stroke of half time for a foul on Ameobi. The second card meant he was off.

Wenger immediately withdrew Hleb for Flamini. The presumably the idea was to stiffen a midfield now reduced to three players.

If anything Arsenal looked to have weathered the storm when the goal came. The ball was pin-balling around their area and the visitors failed to clear. Eventually Shearer found Solano on the right and Solano found the net. The visitors threw on Quincy and Robert Pires but could not muster a clear chance to equalise.

The Gunners have now taken just five points from a possible 28 away from home in the Premiership.

Henry misses penalty in Arsenal - Ajax draw

2005-12-08T13:25:00.000-08:00

English club Arsenal failed to round off their successful Champions League Group B campaign with a sixth consecutive win when french Thierry Henry missed a penalty in the 0-0 draw with Ajax.

The usually deadly French international shot wide from the spot in first-half stoppage time in a Highbury match of few opportunities and little consequence, both teams having booked their place in the last 16 before the match kicked off.

Bolton beated Arsenal

2005-12-04T08:52:00.000-08:00

Arsenal slipped 0-2 at Bolton Wanderers, dropping the Gunners 14 points behind Chelsea. The Gunners also has a game in hand on FC Chelsea. Henry played all the match, but didn't manage to score a goal.

Arsenal and Bolton Wanderers have 26 points, first-half goals by Abdoulaye Faye and Stelios Giannakopoulos having given Wanderers their eighth straight home win in all competitions.

Faye headed Bolton ahead after 20 minutes and the second goal came 12 minutes later when Gilberto Silva was caught in possession and Giannakopoulos, who secured Bolton's 1-0 win in the corresponding fixture last season, took advantage.

Thierry Henry hit a post two minutes later but Arsenal was below its best and, with less than half the season gone, it can already give up any realistic hope of regaining the title.

"We had a poor first half, Bolton's commitment was high and we gave two easy goals away," said Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.

The Highbury Record Man

2005-11-29T23:09:00.000-08:00

Thierry Henry heard about the importance of his goal on Saturday only when Arsenal's PA announcer informed the Highbury crowd him as he walked back for the restart.

Henry's scoring against Blackburn was his 100th League goal at the famous old stadium. It was also the first time any player has scored a century of Premiership goals at any one ground. The Frenchman has broken so many records this season that perhaps you can forgive it slipping below his radar.

"I saw it come up on the screen and I was reading about it," Titi said afterwards. "Then the guy said it was my 100th League goal at Highbury.

"I was unaware of it, I have to say. To be honest when Robert gave me that fantastic ball I just wanted to put it in the back of the net to make sure we were 2-0 ahead.

Henry to break another Record at Highbury

2005-11-25T17:43:00.000-08:00

Thierry Henry can break another record tomorrow. If the french striker scores tomorrow against Blackburn it will be his 100th Premiership goal at Highbury. He would become the first player ever to hit a century of League goals at the ground, which of course is in its final year as the home of Arsenal Football Club.

He would also become the first player to score 100 Premiership goals at any one ground. Henry broke Arsenal’s goal-scoring record, previously held by Ian Wright at 185, against Sparta Prague last month. His tally currently stands at 191 and is fast closing in on his double century.

Henry is in Barcelona's Plans

2005-11-20T09:39:00.000-08:00

Spanish club FC. Barcelona have confirmed their interest in having french striker Thierry Henry in their squad for the next season. A senior official at the club stated Henry would complement the team. This comfirm the rumours around the possible operation in the last months.

"He is that kind of player who would improve our squad" said Barcelona sporting director Txiki Beguiristain.

"If he was to come then that would not mean Ronaldinho or Eto'o would have to leave - they could all play together."

Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard also praised Henry and admitted he would be a good signing.

"It looks bad if I say that he is a bad player because he isn't - he is a great player," said Rijkaard.

"That is not to say he is going to come to Barcelona, but he would be a great addition to the squad."

Arsenal beats Wigan with Henry 's goals

2005-11-19T08:44:00.000-08:00

Arsenal got a great victory over Wigan (3-2) and brought the curtain down on the club’s storming six-game winning streak in the Barclays Premiership. Wigan's record home crowd were treated to a pulsating first half in which a classy Arsenal raced into a 2-0 lead after 21 minutes with goals from Robin Van Persie and Thierry Henry.

Henri Camara gave second-placed Wigan a lifeline after 28 minutes only for Henry to restore Arsenal's two-goal cushion with a delicious free kick past Wigan goalkeeper John Filan.

Wigan, who have enjoyed a superb start to their first season in the top flight, hit back again on the stroke of halftime when Jimmy Bullard turned Sol Campbell to shoot past Jens Lehmann.

Arsenal survived some nervy moments in the second half as Wigan pressed for an equaliser, but hung on for their first away victory of the season.

Henry's future may not be in Arsenal

2005-11-17T18:08:00.000-08:00

Arsenal captain Thierry Henry hasn't signed a new contract with the club yet, and there is the possibility that he moves to another club abroad. The french striker became Arsenal's all-time leading goalscorer when he returned from injury in the win over Sparta Prague in October and his record currently stands at 189.

Despite his feelings for Arsenal, Thierry has not signed his new contract with his current deal set to run out in summer 2007 and he has constantly side-stepped questions about his future.

Henry has been linked in the past with Spanish giants Real Madrid although recent speculation has connected him with Primera Liga champions Barcelona.

France couldn't beat Germany

2005-11-12T23:10:00.000-08:00

France and Germany couldn't break the deadlock in the friendly match at the Stade de France. At the same time, Henry wasn't able to score over team mate Lehmann.

The game was a physical affair with the Germans setting the pace right from the start of the encounter when Sebastian Deisler sent a perfect cross from the right towards striker Lukas Podolski.

The striker hit a powerful shot which flew narrowly over Coupet's crossbar. The visitors had the most opportunities in the first 18 minutes with Deisler, in particular, putting a lot of pressure on the French defence.

Thierry Henry, who scored Les Bleus' winning goal in their victory over Costa Rica, had a chance in the 19th minute but failed to control his right-foot strike.

Five minutes later he fired a free-kick over the crossbar but Germany kept control of the match until the end of the first half.

In the 44th minute Deisler limped off the pitch after injuring his ankle following a clash with William Gallas.

After the interval substitute Nicolas Anelka crossed the ball towards David Trezeguet who missed his shot, while Coupet made two impressive saves in the 54th and 65th minutes following strikes from midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger.

Captain Michael Ballack sent a header wide after connecting with a free-kick in the 70th minute but France regained some of their energy in the last 10 minutes of the clash.

Alou Diarra stole the ball from Ballack and crossed it towards Djibril Cisse but the Liverpool hitman failed to control his shot and the ball slid past the right post.

On the stroke of full-time Cisse crossed towards Anelka but the ball was diverted away to safety by Per Mertesacker.

Henry to face Teammate in France - Germany match

2005-11-11T11:13:00.000-08:00

Thierry Henry and the french national team will play against Lehmann's Germany at the Stade de France on Saturday. Arsenal teammates will face on the field.

"How do you stop Thierry Henry?" German goalkeeper Lehmann was wondering. "You have to block midfield and not give him any space to play. Once he has the ball, he is very quick, very technical and can create opportunities from nothing."

France, who had to wait until their last qualifier to seal their place at next year's World Cup finals in Germany, can turn to recent history for inspiration.

The last time they played Germany, two years ago in Gelsenkirchen, they won 3-0 with an impressive display. Henry had been instrumental that night, scoring a goal and setting up another.

Saturday's match will go ahead as planned despite the urban violence that has flared across France but there will be extra security measures around the stadium on the outskirts of Paris.

Arsenal wins thanks to Henry double score

2005-11-06T18:37:00.000-08:00

Arsenal FC got a great victory as Thierry Henry's returned from injury gathered pace yesterday to help the Gunners swept bottom club Sunderland aside to climb to third in the English Premiership table.

Henry claimed Arsenal's second and third goals in a 3-1 win at Highbury to make it five goals from four starts for the club captain since his return from a six-week lay-off.

Centre-back Alan Stubbs gave Sunderland some hope 15 minutes from time but Henry stifled any fightback with his second goal with eight minutes left.

Defeats for Manchester City and Charlton helped Arsenal climb into the top three, though unfancied Wigan's 2-0 win at Portsmouth kept it in second, five points clear of the Gunners.

Arsenal is 11 points adrift of leader Chelsea and manager Arsene Wenger will be hoping Manchester United can halt the champion juggernaut at Old Trafford today.

Henry and Merry preserve their baby's stem cells

2005-11-05T11:29:00.000-08:00

Thierry Henry has paid to preserve potentially life-saving stem cells from his baby daughter's umbilical cord. The news comes just days after the News revealed a trial was under way into the procedure at the Rosie Hospital at Cambridge's Addenbrooke's Hospital.

Thierry, 27, and his wife Nicole Merry, 25, paid £500 to have Tea's umbilical cord frozen, so she would have access to her own stem cells if she ever needed them to treat serious illness.

Stem cells, which have the ability to become many different types of tissue, are already used to treat leukaemia and other blood disorders.

Scientists also hope they might one day offer cures for people with diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, and spinal cord injuries.

Umbilical cord blood is known to be a particularly rich source of stem cells.

If the Cambridge trial is successful, the British Stem Cell Registry, which is behind the study, could begin offering a commercial service to the parents of newborn babies at the Rosie.

Arsenal victory over Sparta Prague

2005-11-04T00:00:00.000-08:00

Henry scored as Arsenal advanced to the knockout stage of the Champions League on Wednesday. Robin van Persie scored twice and Thierry Henry added another to lead Arsenal over visiting Sparta Prague 3-0 for its fourth straight win.

Henry, Arsenal's record goalscorer, scored twice at Sparta Prague two weeks ago and scored again against the Czechs in the 23rd minute at Highbury. Jose Antonio Reyes crossed for Henry to score from 25 meters (yards).

Arsenal vs Sparta Prague

2005-11-01T16:28:00.000-08:00

Arsenal can book a place in the last 16 of the Champions League with victory over Sparta Prague at Highbury on Wednesday (November 2).

The Gunners recent Premiership exploits have been something of a circus, with botched penalty attempts and an away defeat to lowly West Bromwich Albion all part of the repertoire. However, they have been somewhat more convincing in Europe, and currently sit top of Group B, five points ahead of nearest challengers Ajax.

Arsene Wenger’s men saw off the threat of Sparta in Prague a fortnight ago, and there is little to suggest that a victory can not be obtained here in the return fixture. That night, Thierry Henry returned from his long injury absence to score both goals in a 2-0 win after Jose Antonio Reyes suffered a rib injury.

Once again the fitness or otherwise of the French star is the main concern for Wenger. The striker missed the 1-1 draw with Spurs at the weekend, but is hopeful of a return to action here. Henry has scored 31 times in 60 Champions League appearances, with only Raul of Real Madrid and Manchester United’s Ruud Van Nistelrooy having found the net more often in the competition. Despite recent gossip about his future lying elsewhere, Henry remains Arsenal’s key man if they are to mount a serious challenge for the European title this term.

Freddie Ljungberg is a doubt after the Swedish international limped out of the north London derby and missed training on Tuesday (November 1).

Thierry Henry Bio

2005-10-31T16:10:00.000-08:00

Arsenal idol, lethal striker and popular media image, Thierry Henry was born on August 17, 1977 in Paris. He spent his childhood with a soccer ball by his side. His West Indian origins gives him a unique personality. On 31 August 1994, when he played his first Division 1 match with Monaco against Nice, he was 17 years old.

His progress continued unabated and in 1996, he won the European Junior Cup, with David Trézéguet.. The following year, Henry participated in the under-20 World Cup in Malaysia and graduated to the senior ranks as a first selection when he came of age. The choice proved to be wise as Henry turned out to be the most prolific scorer for France in their dominant run through the World Cup of 1998.

In 1998, during the French World Cup, he marked 4 goals and was the strongest french player. Then, in Euro 2000 he scored 3 goals in 5 matches and dodged every defence he met. 1m88 and 83 kilos, Thierry Henry is above all, remarkable in his physical fitness, he is one of the fastest players in the world. He spent several months with Juventas in Turin, but he left to rejoin Emmanuel Petit and Patrick Viera at Arsenal in 1999; he plays there still. On 5 July 2003, Thierry married Nicole Merry, the British model he met whilst filming the Renault Clio campaign.

Henry has amazed football fanatics all over the world with his natural physical ability. His offensive execution has been called spectacular, and most effective of all is his uncanny speed with the ball at his feet. There is not a defender in the world that has proved capable of keeping up with him.