Thierry Henry

With lightning pace and one of the deftest touches in the game, Thierry Henry has established himself as one of the deadliest strikers in the world. He is best known for his eight seasons in London with Arsenal, but now plays for F.C. Barcelona. At the international level, he was a precocious youngster in the France squad that won the 1998 World Cup and the 2000 European Championships.

Quick facts:

• Nationality: French
• Date and Place of Birth: August 17, 1977 in Les Ulis, France
• Position: Winger / Striker
• Current Club: F.C. Barcelona (La Liga)
• Previous Clubs: A.S. Monaco (1994-1999), Juventus (1999), Arsenal (1999-2007)
• International Career: 1997 to present

Early Life:

Henry grew up in the projects of the Les Ulis suburb of Paris where his father and local coaches saw potential in him as early as age 7. And, after scoring six goals in a game as a 13-year old, Henry was invited to join Monaco’s youth system.

The Monaco Years:

His time at Monaco would later define his career because that is where he first met Arsene Wenger, who was the club’s manager at the time. Wenger gave him his professional debut at 17 and set him on the path to becoming a winger. In 1996, Henry was named the French Young Footballer of the Year and the following season Monaco won the league title. The season after that, he scored seven goals to help Monaco to the Champions League semifinals — a record for a French player.

And finally, he capped his 1998 season by scoring three goals in the first round of France’s World Cup triumph.

A Stint at Juventus:

In 1999, with Wenger and his teammate David Trezeguet gone, Henry left Monaco. After five seasons and 20 league goals, Henry linked up with Trezeguet at Serie A club Juventus for $15 million.

At Juve, Henry languished on the wing, scoring three goals in 16 appearances. So when Wenger came knocking with an offer from Arsenal that summer, Henry jumped at it. Arsenal paid about $15 million.

The Arsenal Years:

Wenger immediately turned Henry back into a striker and soon had the deadliest weapon in the Premier League wearing No. 14 for Arsenal. Over the next eight seasons he scored a club-record 174 goals in 254 games, winning two league titles and two F.A. Cup finals. He came to define the bulk of Wenger's time in charge.

By 2007, after a heartbreaking defeat in the Champions League final against Barcelona, Henry seemed to have grown unsettled in England. Unexpectedly, he was then sold to Barcelona. Once again playing on the wing, he has not been as effective in Spain.

France Career:

At the international level, Henry has been instrumental to the French attack and was a star of France’s success at Euro 2000. As it was for the rest of the squad, however, the 2002 World Cup was a disaster as France crashed out without scoring a goal. Henry came closest by hitting the crossbar against Uruguay. Henry’s 2004 European Championships were not much better — France was ousted by eventual winners Greece — but he rose to the occasion at the 2006 World Cup. In what might have been the team’s finest performance since 2000, Henry scored the only goal to sink Brazil in the quarterfinal.