Henry retires from France
One of the biggest French players ever, Thierry Henry declared it’s about time to quit the national team. The 32-year-old star made the statement right before his new club New York Red Bulls press conference, mentioning that the match against South Africa at the World Cup tournament was the last for him to play. He also added: “This is the end for me on the national team. The game against South Africa was my last appearance with the French squad. Ironically, it was also my first game in the national team against South Africa,” mentioning also the reason he didn’t announce this during the tournament. This considers: „it’s not the kind of thing we say before the event starts.” Former Juventus, Arsenal and Barcelona star played 123 times for the national team scoring 51 goals since 1997, the year he joined the seniors, while as a youngster he played five times for the U20 France scoring the same five goals, so almost a perfect efficiency during his youth career one might say.
Henry leaves behind a very impressive experience as an international player, winning both UEFA’s European Football Championship in 2000 and the World Cup in 1998 when France also hosted the final tournament. We must add striker’s Confederations Cup success in 2003. The French player will join now American club New York Red Bulls, Henry signing these past days a „multi-year” contract with the Americans, showing himself happy with the move, declaring: „This marks an exciting new chapter in my career and life. It is an honour to play for the New York Red Bulls. I am fully aware of the team’s history and my sole goal during my time here is to help win the club its first championship,” while the team’s boss Dietmar Beiersdorfer claimed also that: „It is without question that Thierry Henry is one of the most successful and recognisable soccer players over the past 15 years. We are thrilled that Thierry has decided to come to New York to help the Red Bulls compete for championships this year and for years to come.”
„ His international pedigree is second to none and he is a proven winner. Thierry is not only a world class player who will undoubtedly improve our squad, but he has shown most importantly throughout his career that he is a winner. He has made it clear to us that he is committed in the short and long term to help in our vision of making our organisation the premium franchise in Major League Soccer.” Henry’s best performance was provided during his Arsenal job where he played for eight years and scoring 174 goals in 254 appearances.
