16 Dec Thierry Henry Announces Retirement
Today is a sad day for football, as legendary striker Thierry Henry announced his retirement from the game. In a career spanning 20 years, Henry played for Monaco, Juventus, Arsenal, Barcelona and New York Red Bulls.
During this time he won it all – two Premier League titles, three FA Cups, two La Liga titles, one Copa del Rey, one Champions League, one European Championship and one World Cup. He will of course be best remembered for his time in England, where he scored 228 goals for Arsenal to become their all-time top scorer. 175 of those goals were in the Premier League, which puts him fourth on the all-time list and the highest ranked foreign player. Henry won the Premier League Golden Boot on four occasions, and the European version twice. He was voted into the Premier League team of the season six times, and the UEFA best team five times. Such was his impact with the Gunners, that in 2011 they erected a statue of the Frenchman outside the Emirates as part of the club’s 125th anniversary celebrations.
The one blot on Henry’s career was his controversial handball for France against Ireland in a play-off for the 2010 World Cup. However, he will no doubt be remembered far more for his array of stunning goals, the class his exuded on the pitch, and his impact on the English game. Henry will now be pursuing a career in the media with Sky Sports, but Arsenal fans around the world will be hoping he returns to the club in some capacity. Following his announcement, football stars of the past and present were quick to pay tribute.
Thanks for the memories, @ThierryHenry pic.twitter.com/XtnKbkEUDp — Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) December 16, 2014
Congratulations to @ThierryHenry on a truly wonderful career. One of the great footballers of our time and a top bloke. Bonne chance. — Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) December 16, 2014
A true inspiration to me in my career. Thank you @Thierryhenry & good luck in your new path with @skysports pic.twitter.com/0ox5kdBRlj — Theo Walcott (@theowalcott) December 16, 2014
Chapeau .@ThierryHenry! A big thank you from the @OfficialASRoma family for your amazing contribution to the game pic.twitter.com/bykAvwCYc2 — AS Roma (@OfficialASRoma) December 16, 2014
@ThierryHenry From artist to analyst. Respect to you sir. What a player… — Vincent Kompany (@VincentKompany) December 16, 2014
Merci mon ami pour ton football. Una foto publicada por @carles5puyol el
Arsenal legend, wish I’d been able to play with him, good luck @ThierryHenry in retirement, and look forward to watching him on @SkySports — Jack Wilshere (@JackWilshere) December 16, 2014
Long live the King.
