He started his career at AS Monaco, ended it with the New York Red Bulls, and in between there were stints at Juventus and FC Barcelona.
And, of course, he earned over 100 caps for France, scoring some great goals (vs Portugal in Euro 2000 semifinals) and some not-so-great goals (that handball vs Ireland in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers), and helped les Bleus win a World Cup on home soil and a European Championship.
But Thierry Henry, who retired on Tuesday at age 37, will always be remembered as an Arsenal player.
No, scratch that. Henry IS Arsenal.
It wasn’t just Henry’s goal-scoring prowess that made him such an Arsenal legend. Oh, there were plenty of goals—226 of them, in fact, in 369 appearances in all competitions for the Gunners. His 175 goals rank him as the fourth-best scorer (tied with Frank Lampard) in Premier League history.
Henry’s arrival at Highbury in 1999 after a failed tenure with Juventus marked one of the most successful eras at Arsenal—an era marked by “champagne football” that saw the Gunners go a full Premier League season without a single loss, and claim three league titles and a trio of FA Cups.
With his sublime touch and invention, Henry, more than anything else, made the impossible look routine on a soccer pitch. His creativity knew no bounds, allowing him to conjure moments of true genius that left defenders befuddled and spectators wanting more.
Remember that audacious flick and volley against Manchester United at Highbury in 2000?
Or that that brilliant individual effort against Liverpool at Anfield in the FA Cup in 2006 when he outmuscled Jamie Carragher for the ball?
Or when he broke Ian Wright’s Arsenal goal scoring record during a Champions League match against Sparta Prague in 2005?
Five years after leaving Arsenal, Henry returned on loan in 2012 when the Gunners were mired in a bit of a “striker crisis.” Almost on cue, the Frenchman delivered, coming off the bench to score this winner against Leeds United in the FA Cup.
There was something about playing against Leeds United that brought out the best in Titi. There was that time in 2004 when he scored four times against the Yorkshire club, the best goal coming as he was falling down inside the penalty area after going on an incredible solo run.
