Daves On Soccer19 May 2006
Thierry Henry Stays!
Good news for the Arsenal!
A report went around last night that Thierry Henry had told the Sun that he is going to stay with Arsenal. Now the BBC is reporting that Arsenal have called a press conference for 2PM in the UK (that's 11AM in the US) to confirm the deal.
Of course this is absolutely fantastic. Thierry Henry is arguably the best player in the world, and he's certainly among the top five. And he will remain a Gunner for the forseeable future. The rumors have been thick for months that he was leaving, probably to Barcelona. But while watching the CL final Wednesday, I became convinced that Henry would stay.
Henry is clearly a complex and private person. But from what I can see, he is motivated more than anything by a love for the history of the game, and by a desire to seal his place in it. That's why winning the Champions League has been so important to him. And so the debate about him leaving all comes down to: where can he build his strongest legacy for the future?
Barcelona are a fantastic team, and it's clear that Henry would shine in that lineup. Imagine him playing alongside Eto'o, with Ronaldinho feeding them both and also getting balls in return. All three would complement each other and it would work great. But what would Henry's legacy be? Like another Dream Team that played in Barcelona, the story would be about the abundance of talent rather than one particular player. And Ronaldinho would be the first among equals in that lineup. Barca is and will remain Ronaldinho's team, and so Henry would have to be one of 'the other guys' in that lineup.
Compare that to Arsenal, which are unquestionably Henry's team. Whatever Arsenal achieve, it will be added to his legacy. He will be surrounded by some amazing talent in London too, so he can expect some fantastic play, but still he will remain the leader of the team. And after Barca won on Wednesday, what could he prove with them? If they won the CL next year, Henry would look more like the guy who signed up to get a trophy rather than the guy who made the difference.
It's clearly the right call. But still, you never know for sure what someone is thinking, particularly a man as unique as Henry. He's never been a stereotypical player, either on or off the pitch, and so it's dangerous to predict how he will think, what will drive his decisions. So having this confirmed is an amazing relief for Gunners fans everywhere.
Thierry Henry will lead the squad out next August at Emirates Stadium. Gunners fans everywhere are smiling. Cheers, Thierry! Here's to you!
A report went around last night that Thierry Henry had told the Sun that he is going to stay with Arsenal. Now the BBC is reporting that Arsenal have called a press conference for 2PM in the UK (that's 11AM in the US) to confirm the deal.
Of course this is absolutely fantastic. Thierry Henry is arguably the best player in the world, and he's certainly among the top five. And he will remain a Gunner for the forseeable future. The rumors have been thick for months that he was leaving, probably to Barcelona. But while watching the CL final Wednesday, I became convinced that Henry would stay.
Henry is clearly a complex and private person. But from what I can see, he is motivated more than anything by a love for the history of the game, and by a desire to seal his place in it. That's why winning the Champions League has been so important to him. And so the debate about him leaving all comes down to: where can he build his strongest legacy for the future?
Barcelona are a fantastic team, and it's clear that Henry would shine in that lineup. Imagine him playing alongside Eto'o, with Ronaldinho feeding them both and also getting balls in return. All three would complement each other and it would work great. But what would Henry's legacy be? Like another Dream Team that played in Barcelona, the story would be about the abundance of talent rather than one particular player. And Ronaldinho would be the first among equals in that lineup. Barca is and will remain Ronaldinho's team, and so Henry would have to be one of 'the other guys' in that lineup.
Compare that to Arsenal, which are unquestionably Henry's team. Whatever Arsenal achieve, it will be added to his legacy. He will be surrounded by some amazing talent in London too, so he can expect some fantastic play, but still he will remain the leader of the team. And after Barca won on Wednesday, what could he prove with them? If they won the CL next year, Henry would look more like the guy who signed up to get a trophy rather than the guy who made the difference.
It's clearly the right call. But still, you never know for sure what someone is thinking, particularly a man as unique as Henry. He's never been a stereotypical player, either on or off the pitch, and so it's dangerous to predict how he will think, what will drive his decisions. So having this confirmed is an amazing relief for Gunners fans everywhere.
Thierry Henry will lead the squad out next August at Emirates Stadium. Gunners fans everywhere are smiling. Cheers, Thierry! Here's to you!
// posted by Dave Ciskowski @ 09:27 
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