Whether with Arsenal or the French team, Thierry Henry has had one of the longest careers in French football. But not everything was perfect for the former striker, who also went through moments of deep doubt.
If we had to make a ranking now, everyone would put Thierry Henry in the pantheon of the best attackers in history. In 123 selections with theFrench team he has in fact scored no less than 51 goals, an amount that explodes if we see what he did at Arsenal with 228 goals in 377 matches in all competitions. It’s not for nothing that he has a statue in front of the London club’s stadium…
“Ancelotti was sick of the 4-4-2 and in his system, Thierry Henry was on the side! »
But before this glorious stage, Thierry Henry mainly passed through another major European club, where things were quite complicated. To the Juventusthe Frenchman had in fact been replaced as a full-back, which in hindsight is quite incomprehensible. “ I remember when Titi arrived at Juve. He made me laugh because he came into my room saying: “But do I really have to play defender?” » remembered his former teammate in particular, Alessio Tacchinardi. « Because Ancelotti was sick of the 4-4-2 and in his system, Thierry Henry was on the side! ».
“I didn’t see him as a scorer”
This astonishing choice comes to us in fact from Carlo Ancelottiarrived during the season at the Juventus and who years later admitted his mistake. “ It’s impossible to only make good decisions in thirty years » explained the Italian technician, in an interview given to France Football in November 2024. “ At Juventus, I had Thierry Henry (in 1999). When he started his career, he played as a winger. And when he went to Arsenal, he became a fantastic striker, with (Arsène) Wenger. And I didn’t see him as a scorer ».
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