It takes a very special kind of individual to generate a heart-aching nostalgia for an era that you do not even remember. It takes a special, special player to instill a yearning for a period of soccer history that transpired before you were even born, and before you were even conceived.
But in the never-ending list of adjectives you can attribute to arguably the greatest player to ever don an Arsenal shirt, ‘special’ is one of the most apt to describe Le Roi. Thierry Henry.
Henry created magical moments at Arsenal
This month marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Frenchman’s signing for Arsenal FC. To mark the occasion, the club shared a series of Henry’s best moments for the North London team. A carousel of sentimentality-inducing dopamine rushes.
Schooling Galacticos at the Bernabeu, single-handledly rearing a remontada against Liverpool, and adorning the Premier League trophy on his head at the finale of the Invincibles season. Life is infinite and so is the stockpile of iconic Thierry Henry stills.
Henry’s legacy as an all-time Premier League great is unquestionable. In conversations about the best to play in the Premier League, it’s a cardinal sin to not mention his name. He did things on the pitch that have never, ever, ever come close to being recreated.
His gobsmacking flick-turn-volley against Manchester United, an audacious 10-yard back-heeled finish against Charlton, and the dummy after faint after shimmy before slotting one past a helpless Jerzy Dudek. Henry ignited the excitement of thousands of school-aged kids, who consequently dedicated hours to practicing side-foot finishes and travelas in the back garden.
His legacy at the Emirates is unforgettable
But those kids grew up and seasons changed. Henry moved onto sunnier pastures, going on to claim the coveted Champions League trophy at Barcelona. In his absence, Arsenal continued to falter, and cynicism crept into the hearts of even the most ardent fans.
But The King had more Jokers in his pack. His legendary, tears-in-your-eyes goal against Leeds on his return to the Emirates catapulted us back to the cobwebbed corners of our memory. Not since elementary school had the urge to grab a worn-out soccer ball and tear around the back garden been so irresistibly strong.
He was signed in the twilight of a decade that birthed the footballer/mega-celebrity hybrid. Thierry Henry’s influence and significance have always far transcended the game we love.
In recent years, Arsenal players like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Bukayo Saka have continued to emulate his most famous celebrations; an aura-dripping, fist-clenching knee-slide in the North London derby. Or a naughty smile while lazily leaning on the corner flag, a tribute to the Thierry Henry nineties exploits in a France jersey. Football is the Culture. And Thierry Henry is the Football.
Twenty-five years on, his relevance remains relentless. During the season, the timeline is inundated with bi-weekly clips of Le Roi utilizing his sophisticated, charismatic aura to rip the p*** out of Micah Richards and Jamie Carragher (much like he used to do on the football pitch).
Thierry Henry has led France to an Olympics final
More to the point, he continues to have a direct managerial influence on the beautiful game. At the time of writing, Henry guided a young French Men’s team to a silver medal at the Paris Olympics.
And much like his footballing nouse, Henry’s instinct for iconography is not greying or fraying with age. In the dying embers of the semi-final, Thierry Henry posed with his arms aloft to the heavens as pure limbs broke out in the France stands after a late Mateta winner.
It isn’t long before there are videos on my feed of Thierry Henry dancing. He spins with a characteristic nonchalant joy in the France dressing room. A hero, coach, and peer alike to this future cohort of French soccer stars.
These images reassure me, if any reassurance was necessary, that Thierry Henry’s legacy is eternal. My children will know Thierry Henry. So will my children’s children, and every generation of footballing fans that comes after them. Just as I am stood staring at photos that are a quarter-of-a-century old today.
The world is a better place for Thierry Henry. And it’s his world after all. Viva la Va Va Voom.
PHOTOS: IMAGO / Geoff Martin
