Thierry Henry

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Henry is a two-time winner of the European Golden Shoe. He was a runner-up for the Ballon d'Or in 2003 and for the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2003 and 2004. He was named the FWA Footballer of the Year a record three times, the PFA Players' Player of the Year twice, and made the PFA Team of the Year six consecutive times. He was included in the FIFA FIFPro World XI once and the UEFA Team of the Year five times. In 2004, Henry was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of greatest living players. Henry had success with France, winning the 1998 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2000, and 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup. He was named French Player of the Year a record five times, named in the UEFA Euro 2000 Team of the Tournament, awarded the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Ball and Golden Shoe, and named in the 2006 FIFA World Cup All-Star Team. In 2007, he became his country's record goalscorer, a record he held until 2022. After 123 appearances and 51 goals, Henry retired from international football after the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

In Their Own Story

Henry's World Cup journey started in 1998 when he was part of the French squad that won the tournament on home soil. Eight years later, at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, he was a key figure as France advanced to the final. His performances earned him a place in the tournament's All-Star Team. The final ended in a penalty shootout loss to Italy. Henry's final World Cup appearance came in 2010, after which he retired from international football.

Reader's Guide

Henry made his professional debut with Monaco in 1994 before signing for Juventus. Limited playing time, and disagreements with the club's hierarchy, led to him signing for Premier League club Arsenal for £11 million in 1999. Under long-time mentor and coach Arsène Wenger, Henry became a prolific striker and Arsenal's all-time leading scorer with 228 goals. Generally viewed as Arsenal's best ever player, he won the Premier League Golden Boot a record four times, three FA Cups and two Premier League titles, most notably as a cornerstone of the unbeaten Invincible season, after achieving a historic 24 goals and 20 assists the season prior. Henry spent his final two seasons with Arsenal as captain, leading them to their first UEFA Champions League final. Henry transferred to Barcelona in 2007 and concluded his debut season as the club's top scorer. In 2008–09, he was a key part of the club's historic treble when they won La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and UEFA Champions League. Henry had notably combined with Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto'o to become the most prolific trio in Spanish league history at the time, scoring 72 goals. In 2010, he joined Major League Soccer (MLS) club New York Red Bulls and returned to Arsenal on loan from January to February 2012, before retiring in 2014. After retiring, Henry transitioned into coaching. He began coaching Arsenal's youth teams in 2015, in tandem with punditry for Sky Sports. In 2016, he was appointed assistant coach at Belgium, before becoming Monaco head coach in 2018. He was relieved of his duties in 2019 and returned to MLS to manage Montréal Impact. He led Montréal to the playoffs in 2020 before departing in 2021, returning as an assistant coach for Belgium for 18 months. From August 2023 to August 2024, Henry served as manager of the France national under-21 team and the France Olympic team at the 2024 Summer Games, leading the team to silver.

Did You Know?

• Henry participated in four World Cups: 1998, 2002, 2006, and 2010.
• Henry was part of the winning team in the 1998 FIFA World Cup.