Clever Henry

Thierry Henry, a legend at Arsenal and highest goal scorer, surpassing Ian Wright's record. Now, he is level with Michael Platini as highest goal scorer for France. We remember Henry as a great player and a prolific goal scorer at Arsenal, but looking back at his last few seasons at Arsenal, Thierry Henry was clever and cunning.

I remember when Henry signed a new contract after Arsenal lost the Champions League finals to Barcelona. I even recollect Henry once saying that he would love to play for Arsenal until he was 60. But less than a year later, Henry moved to FC Barcelona and claimed that uncertainty over coach (and mentor) Arsene Wenger's future was the main reason why he left.

Wenger then revealed a few months later that Henry had left because he beleived Arsenal would not win anything big in the immediate future, and that he was growing old, so he should move to Barcelona to win something big. Arsene Wenger understood Henry's problem and let him leave. Wenger has a record of supporting his players even when they go against him (like Sol Campbells' incident after the loss against West Ham).
Now, Arsenal are flying high in the Champions League and the Premiership. They have won all their matches but one in all competitions and drew Blackburn after an absolute howler by Jens Lehmann. Arsenal are very good, because Henry is no more there. When Henry played, he carried an ego in his face and movements which always said that he is the best player in the world. There is no doubt in the fact that Henry is a great player, but he is not as great as he thinks. I still think that one day, Jose Antonio Reyes will reveal that he left Arsenal not because of the weather but because of Henry. I remember they never got along in the pitch. Henry often scolded him and hardly expressed support towards Reyes. Even after Reyes left, Arsenal played football around Henry. If they passed him it was bad for the team, as Henry not always scored goals, and if they did not pass him, they were scolded by their captain (with no leadership) in front of over 60,000 people at the Emirates.

But what makes Henry clever us the time he planned his escape to Barcelona. If Henry had to move to Barca, he would have left for Barca after that Champions League finals. But Arsenal lost the finals, and thanks to Henry. Henry missed two easy chances when he was one on one with Victor Valdes. Eto'o or Adebayor would have burried those balls in, but Henry failed too (I wonder why) and Henry understood this. Had he left Arsenal then, he would not be the same hero he is now. He knew that Arsenal could have won the Champions League had he scores those two goals, but he missed, and Arsenal went home with silver medals. Had Henry scored, he would have left immediately as people would remember him for the victory. Therefore, Henry left after one injury ridden season. A season when the Gooners would have quite forgotten about Paris and would remember other times with Henry.

Henry is attached to Arsenal, but does not love the Gunners as much as he claims to. Love for the clubis what Buffon and Batistuta did when their clubs were relegated. All top teams wanted them, but they stayed with the club in lower divisions. They never said that the uncertainty of thier manager made them want to leave or went up to their manager and said that they wanted to win titles somewhere else.

I am not saying that Henry is not a great player. He is a world class player who deserved the Golden Ball a few seasons ago, but Henry is clever and cunning. I think Barcelona fans will be happy as Henry will bring in a lot of goals, but do not expect Henry to score often against Real Madrid, Valencia, or other European giants in the Champions League. Henry will get plenty of goals against the likes of Valladolid, Levate (like his recent hattrick), Athletic Bilbao and may score often against Athletico Madrid or even Seville. But Henry is not a big match performer like Ronaldo, Raul, Drogba or ex-teammate Bergkamp or present-teammate Eto'o. The only 'big' matches Henry has performed was against a hopeless Real Madrid defence at the Bernabeau and a lucky goal agaisnt a lzy Roberto Carlos in the quarter finals of the World Cup in 2006. i do not write Henry off. He will get the goals and help Barca win trophies. But the majority of the goals will come against smaller opponents. On the score sheet against Real, Valencia and other big teams in the Champions League, the name "Henry" will very seldom be seen (not never), and "Messi", "Deco", "Eto'o", "Ronaldinho" and other names at Barca will be seen in these big matches.

Henry has been clever to save his status as an Arsenal icon. Had it been another humble and rash decision making (but great) player like Totti, he could have earned a bad name. But Thierry is more clever and cunning than he looks.