Reebok International Ltd.

Type	Subsidiary
Industry	Sports equipment
Founded	1895 (as J.W. Foster and Sons) in England, United Kingdom
Founder(s)	J.W. Foster [1]
Headquarters	Canton, Massachusetts, US
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Paul Fireman (CEO)[2]
Products	sportswear, Footwear
Net income	$5400m
Parent	Adidas [3]
Website	reebok.com

Reebok International Limited, a subsidiary of the German sportswear company Adidas since 2005,^[4] is a producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and accessories. The name comes from the Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, a type of African antelope or gazelle. In 1890 in Holcombe Brook, a small village 6 miles north east of Bolton, United Kingdom, Joseph William Foster was making a living producing regular running shoes when he came up with the idea to create a novelty spiked running shoe. After his ideas progressed he joined with his sons, and founded a shoe company named J.W. Foster and Sons in 1895.^[5]

In 1958, two of the founder's grandsons Joe and Jeff Foster renamed the company Reebok in United Kingdom, having found the name in a dictionary won in a race by Joe Foster as a boy; the dictionary was South African edition hence the spelling.^[6] The company lived up to the J.W. Foster legacy, manufacturing first-class footwear for customers throughout the UK. In 1979, Paul Fireman, a US sporting goods distributor, saw a pair of Reeboks at an international trade show and negotiated to sell them in North America.^[5]

Human rights and production details[link]

Reebok world headquarters in Canton

In the past,^[when?] Reebok had an association with outsourcing through sweatshops,^{[citation needed]} but today it claims it is committed to human rights. In April 2004, Reebok's footwear division became the first company to be accredited by the Fair Labor Association.^{[citation needed]} In 2004, Reebok also became a founding member of the Fair Factories Clearinghouse, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving worker conditions across the apparel industry.

Supplier information, according to the Reebok website as of May 2007:

"Footwear Reebok uses footwear factories in 14 countries. Most factories making Reebok footwear are based in Asia — primarily China (accounting for 51% of total footwear production), Indonesia (21%), Vietnam (17%) and Thailand (7%). Production is consolidated, with 88% of Reebok footwear manufactured in 11 factories, employing over 75,000 workers.

"Apparel Reebok has factories in 45 countries. The process of purchasing products from suppliers is organized by region. Most (52%) of Reebok's apparel sold in the United States is produced in Asia, with the rest coming from countries in the Caribbean, North America, Africa and the Middle East. Apparel sold in Europe is typically sourced from Asia and Europe. Apparel sold in the Asia Pacific region is typically produced by Asian-based manufacturers.

Endorsements[link]

Reebok Worldwide[link]

Reebok has sponsored many top athletes and sports clubs since the early 1990's. Many deals were made, and fulfilled, and many have since moved on. Reebok has endorsed: Lewis Hamilton, Allen Iverson, Yao Ming, Sidney Crosby, Carolina Klüft, Amélie Mauresmo, Nicole Vaidišová, Shahar Pe'er, Ivy, Chad Ochocinco, Thierry Henry, Vince Young, Iker Casillas, Ryan Giggs, Andriy Shevchenko, and Amir Khan in a partial list.

Freestyle and Ex-O-Fit success[link]

Reebok EX-O-FIT Original Years 80's

Reebok surged in popularity in 1982 after the introduction of the Freestyle athletic shoe, which was specifically designed for women and came out when the aerobics fitness craze started. Reebok Freestyle was popular not only as athletic wear but also on the streets as casual wear because of its comfort and styling. As a result, the Freestyle became an icon of the 1980s fashion scene^{[citation needed]} with hi-top versions (including two velcro straps at the top) and colors including white, black, red, yellow, and blue. Reebok continues to produce the Freestyle to this day, as it is popular with cheerleading, aerobic dancing, the gym, and other consumers.

Following the height of the Freestyle success, Reebok also introduced a popular athletic shoe for men, called the Ex-O-Fit. Similar to the Freestyle, it came in low-top and hi-top versions; however, unlike the Freestyle hi-top with two velcro closure straps, the Ex-O-Fit only had one strap. One of the designers of this early footwear was the founder's son, David Foster.^{[citation needed]}

North America[link]

The company had exclusive rights to manufacture and market both authentic and replica uniform jerseys, sideline apparel and caps, and onfield football footwear of the teams of the National Football League (NFL) from 2002 to 2012 (marketed as NFL Equipment). Reebok also holds rights to manufacture Canadian Football League (CFL) onfield jerseys, sideline gear, and footwear since 2004. Reebok has rights to produce the on-ice "EDGE" Uniform System, performance apparel, and training footwear of the National Hockey League (NHL) since 2006. They are also the official shoe supplier to Major League Baseball (MLB).

Latin America[link]

The company holds sponsorships with Brazilian clubs Cruzeiro, Internacional, and São Paulo FC. Reebok will stop sponsoring Mexican club C.D. Guadalajara before the Apertura 2011 season. Parent Company Adidas will take over as sponsor.

CCM[link]

In addition, Reebok acquired official National Hockey League (NHL) sponsor CCM in 2004, and is now manufacturing ice hockey equipment under the CCM and Reebok brands, and has signed popular young stars Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin to endorsement deals (Crosby for Reebok, Ovechkin for CCM, though Ovechkin currently endorses Bauer). Reebok Hockey has its headquarters in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Reebok has phased out the CCM name on NHL authentic and replica jerseys in recent years, using the Reebok logo since 2005. However, recently Reebok has been making vintage jerseys (like the 1967 Toronto Maple Leafs blue jerseys shown here ^[7]) under the CCM name.

Europe[link]

The Reebok Stadium in Horwich, Bolton

The company maintains its relationship with its origins in the UK through a long-term sponsorship deal with Bolton Wanderers, a Premier League football club, however, in 2009 Bolton changed their sponsership to 188bet. When the team moved to a brand new ground in the late-1990s, their new home was named the Reebok Stadium. Several other English clubs had Reebok sponsorship deals up until the purchase by Adidas, but most have since switched to either the parent brand (which has a long history in football) or another company altogether.

Reebok sponsors the German club, FC Köln, since the 2008–09 Bundesliga season.

In rugby union, Reebok sponsored the Wales national team until late 2008, who won the Grand Slam in the Six Nations Championship in that year, and the Tasman Makos in New Zealand's domestic competition, the Air New Zealand Cup.

In 2006, FC Barcelona and France striker Thierry Henry (then playing for Arsenal) signed a deal to join the "I Am What I Am" campaign on August 1, 2006. Ryan Giggs has also done "I Am What I Am" commercials. Also, on August 1, Andriy Shevchenko started his endorsement deal with the company.^[8]

Australia[link]

In 2005, Reebok also signed an exclusive agreement to design and supply all eight team home and away strips for the new Australian A-League competition. Although not an expensive deal, this partnership paid dividends for Reebok, due to the growing popularity of football and the league in the area. An estimated 125,000 A-League jerseys were sold in Australia, a record for a single league's sales in a year for a sports manufacturer.^[9] Reebok's agreement ended at the finish of the 2010-2011 season.

Reebok sponsors three teams in the Australian Football League, those being the Gold Coast Suns, the Adelaide Football Club and the Port Adelaide Football Club. Reebok sponsors the St George Illawarra Dragons in the NRL.

Reebok advertisement in Basel

India[link]

Reebok^[10] sponsored kits for Indian Premier League teams, such as the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings in the first edition of the league held in 2008. However, for the second edition held in 2009, the sponsorships included Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings, Kings XI Punjab kits.

The Brand Trust Report, India Study, 2011 published by the Trust Research Advisory ranked Reebok as the 14th most trusted brand in India.^[11]

In May 2012, Reebok India filed a criminal complaint against former top employees, Subhinder Singh Prem and Vishnu Bhagat, accusing them of a financial fraud of upto 233 Million USD.^[12]

Outside sport[link]

Rapper Jay-Z became the first non-athlete to get a signature shoe from Reebok. The "S. Carter Collection by Rbk" was launched on November 21, 2003 and the S. Carter sneaker became the fastest-selling shoe in the company's history.^[13] Later, Reebok made a deal with rapper 50 Cent to release a line of G-Unit sneakers and artists like Nelly and Miri Ben-Ari have become spokespersons for the company. Reebok also signed Scarlett Johansson and introduced her own line of apparel and footwear called Scarlett Hearts, an Rbk Lifestyle Collection. Reebok also produce shoes for Emporio Armani under the label EA7. These shoes are marketed to the high-end fashion market.

Unfair Business practice[link]

Reebok is known for pushing its shoes through school authorities in many Indian schools, making it mandatory for kids.^[14][15] Parents are forced to buy them. Many people individually boycott their shoes for this reason.^{[citation needed]}

Sponsorships[link]

American football[link]

Players[link]

Australian rules football[link]

Teams[link]

• Adelaide
• Gold Coast
• Port Adelaide

Baseball[link]

Basketball[link]

Boxing[link]

• Amir Khan

Canadian football[link]

• CFL – all teams

Cricket[link]

National teams[link]

Club teams[link]

Players[link]

Football[link]

Club teams[link]

Players[link]

• Denis
• Rogerio Ceni
• Ryan Giggs

Formula One[link]

• Force India

Ice Hockey[link]

Lacrosse[link]

• Brodie Merrill
• NLL - all teams^[16][17]

Rugby League[link]

• Dragons

Rugby Union[link]

• Tasman Makos

Track and Field[link]

Other sportsmen sponsored[link]

• Greg Norman (golf)
• Nicole Vaidišová (tennis)
• Josh Beckett (baseball)

Former sponsorships[link]

American football[link]

• NFL - exclusive kit provider for all its teams (2002-2012)

Basketball[link]

• NBA – exclusive kit provider for all its teams (2001–06)
• WNBA – exclusive kit provider for all its teams (2001–06)

Colleges[link]

Football[link]

National teams[link]

Club teams[link]

Rugby union[link]

• Wales (1997−2006)
• Australia (1997−1999)

Tennis[link]

• India Fed Cup team

Reebok and Allen Iverson[link]

Reebok signed a contract with Allen Iverson after he was drafted first overall in the 1996 draft. Reebok signed a lifetime contract in 2001 with Iverson. This partnership has created the second largest signature shoe line of any athlete only behind Michael Jordan. Reebok has created 14 signature shoes beginning with the Question and ending with the Answer XIII.

Recent news[link]

• On 23 May 2012, it was been reported that 2 senior employees of Reebok India indulged in stealing products worth $157 million from the company. This included setting up of illegal warehouses, collecting investments with a promise of furthering franchises despite of Adidas management's official decision to freeze storefront expansions.

• In 2009, Reebok launched JUKARI Fit to Fly, an innovative gym workout designed for all women with one single objective – to make fitness for women fun again. JUKARI, the result of a long-term relationship between Reebok and the globally renowned entertainment company, Cirque du Soleil, is an hour-long workout that was created on a specially designed piece of equipment called the FlySet, which gives the sensation of flying while strengthening and lengthening the body through cardio, strength, balance and core training. JUKARI launched in top gyms in fourteen cities around the world including Hong Kong, Mexico City, Madrid, London, Kraków, Munich, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Buenos Aires, Santiago, Montreal, Los Angeles, Boston, and New York. To complement JUKARI Fit to Fly, Reebok also created two collections of women's fitness apparel and footwear called On the Move and the Reebok-Cirque du Soleil collection. Both lines consist of products that can be worn for a range of fitness disciplines, from running to yoga, JUKARI Fit to Fly, to tennis. All were developed and designed with a deep understanding and knowledge of the unique way a woman's body moves.
• In 2009, Reebok launched the EasyTone footwear collection that allows consumers to "take the gym with them." The EasyTone technology involves two balance pods under the heel and forefoot of the shoe that create a natural instability with every step, which Reebok claims forces the muscles to adapt and develop tone. In 2011, this claim, based on a study at the University of Delaware, was alleged by the Federal Trade Commission to be false, leading to a refund being granted to consumers by the company.^[18]
• In April 2008 Reebok launched its online store in UK and France.^[19] In January 2009 Reebok had extended the store to Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Belgium and Ireland and had also introduced YourReebok – an application to design your own Reeboks.^[20]
• For the 2008–09 season, Reebok created the Reebok Edge 2 uniform system, for National Hockey League's players. The league adopted the jersey and now all teams sport the new style for both their home and away jerseys.
• In July 2007, Reebok launched its Lifestyle Footwear Collection in association with Daddy Yankee's new album. In December 2007, Reebok launched the GOAL Collection of football gear on the release of the Indian football movie Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal.
• In June 2007, Reebok announced Scarlett Johansson on its array of brand ambassadors. Johansson promotes the Scarlett 'Hearts' Rbk" collection, a 'fashion-forward, athletic-inspired' footwear targeted at the Indian market.
• For the 2007/08 season, the National Hockey League introduced a new uniform system league-wide, designed and manufactured by Reebok and called Reebok Edge. The new uniforms include new fabrics which are said to repel water and sweat more effectively. Most players have avoided comment, but some have commented that the Edge system's improved water repelling abilities leads to gloves and skates becoming saturated and uncomfortable during play.
• In late 2006, a court case began between Liverpool FC, the winners of the 2005 UEFA Champions League while wearing Reebok's kit, and Reebok. Reebok claimed that Liverpool cost them £7m because of a delay in confirming the renewal of the Carlsberg sponsorship deal, which meant a delay in releasing the away shirt for 2005/06 (the last that Reebok would make for them)The kit that was eventually released was very similar to the away kit for 2003/04. Liverpool subsequently switched to Adidas for their official kit following Adidas' acquisition of Reebok.
• In November 2006, the National Basketball Association and Women's National Basketball Association switched from Reebok to Adidas branding on authentic and replica jerseys because that brand is better known outside North America and the UK.
• In October 2006 Reebok launches its first blog, "I am what I am"^[21] in Spanish.
• On March 23, 2006, Reebok recalled 300,000 charm bracelets that contained extremely high levels of lead. The bracelet has a heart pendant at the end that is printed with the name "Reebok." It allegedly caused the lead poisoning death of a 4-year-old child who swallowed it.
• In August 2005, one of the company's largest rivals, Adidas, announced that it would acquire Reebok for $3.8 billion. The deal was completed in January 2006.^[22]

See also[link]

• List of swimwear brands

References[link]

External links[link]

	Boston portal
	Companies portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Reebok International Limited

• Official website
• Reebok Hockey
• Reebok Logo: Design and History
• Business practices website, supplier details
• Reebok South Africa
• Students forced to buy shoes
• Reebok in schools

Thierry Henry

Henry with the New York Red Bulls
Personal information
Full name	Thierry Daniel Henry[1]
Date of birth	(1977-08-17) 17 August 1977 (age 34)[1]
Place of birth	Les Ulis, Essonne, France
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	New York Red Bulls
Number	14
Youth career
1983–1989	CO Les Ulis
1989–1990	US Palaiseau
1990–1992	Viry-Châtillon
1992	Clairefontaine
1992–1994	Monaco
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1994–1999	Monaco	105	(20)
1999	Juventus	16	(3)
1999–2007	Arsenal	254	(174)
2007–2010	Barcelona	80	(35)
2010–	New York Red Bulls	46	(25)
2012	→ Arsenal (loan)	4	(1)
National team‡
1997	France U20	5	(3)
1997–2010	France	123	(51)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 20:50, 30 May 2012 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 16:56, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

Thierry Daniel Henry (French pronunciation: [tjɛʁi ɑ̃ʁi]; born 17 August 1977) is a French footballer who plays as a striker for New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.

Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne (a suburb of Paris) where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and signed instantly, making his professional debut in 1994. Good form led to an international call-up in 1998, after which he signed for the Serie A defending champions Juventus. He had a disappointing season playing on the wing, before joining Arsenal for £11 million in 1999.

It was at Arsenal that Henry made his name as a world-class footballer. Despite initially struggling in the Premier League, he emerged as Arsenal's top goal-scorer for almost every season of his tenure there. Under long-time mentor and coach Arsène Wenger, Henry became a prolific striker and Arsenal's all-time leading scorer with 228 goals in all competitions. The Frenchman won two league titles and three FA Cups with the Gunners; he was nominated for the FIFA World Player of the Year twice, was named the PFA Players' Player of the Year twice, and the FWA Footballer of the Year three times. Henry spent his final two seasons with Arsenal as club captain, leading them to the 2006 UEFA Champions League Final.

In June 2007, after eight years with Arsenal, he transferred to Barcelona for a fee of €24 million. His first honours with the Catalan club came in 2009 when they won the La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League treble. He went on to achieve an unprecedented sextuple by also winning the Supercopa de España, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. In total, Henry has been named in the UEFA Team of the Year five times. In 2010, he joined the New York Red Bulls of the Major League Soccer, and won the Eastern Conference title with them in 2010. He returned to Arsenal on loan for two months in 2012.

Henry enjoyed similar success with the French national team, having won the 1998 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2000 and 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup. In October 2007, he surpassed Michel Platini's record to become France's top goal-scorer of all time. Henry retired from international football after the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Off the pitch, Henry is an active spokesperson against racism in football, partially due to his own experiences. He married English model Nicole Merry in 2003 and had a daughter with her, but they divorced in 2007. Henry was also one of the top commercially marketed footballers; he was ranked ninth in the world in 2006.

Early years[link]

Henry is of Antillean heritage:^[2] his father, Antoine, is from Guadeloupe (La Désirade island), and his mother, Maryse, is from Martinique. He was born and raised in Les Ulis suburb of Paris which, despite sometimes being seen as a tough neighbourhood, provided good footballing facilities.^[3][4] As a seven-year-old, Henry showed great potential, prompting Claude Chezelle to recruit him to the local club CO Les Ulis. His father pressured him to attend training, although the youngster was not particularly drawn to football.^[1] He joined US Palaiseau in 1989, but after a year his father fell out with the club, so Henry moved to ES Viry-Châtillon and played there for two years.^[2] US Palaiseau coach Jean-Marie Panza, Henry's future mentor, followed him there.^[3]

Club career[link]

Monaco (1992–1999) and Juventus (1999)[link]

In 1990, Monaco sent scout Arnold Catalano to watch Henry, then at the age of 13 in a match.^[5] Henry scored all six goals as his side won 6–0. Catalano asked him to join Monaco without even attending a trial first. Catalano requested that Henry complete a course at the elite Clairefontaine academy, and despite the director's reluctance to admit Henry due to his poor school results, he was allowed to complete the course and joined Arsène Wenger's Monaco as a youth player.^[1] Subsequently, Henry signed professional forms with Monaco, and made his professional debut on 31 August 1994, in a 2–0 loss against Nice.^[5] Although Wenger suspected that Henry should be deployed as a striker, he put Henry on the left wing because he believed that his pace, natural ball control and skill would be more effective against full-backs than centre-backs.^[2]

After a tentative start to his Monaco career, Henry was named the French Young Footballer of the Year in 1996, and in the 1996–97 season, his solid performances helped the club win the Ligue 1 title.^[1][6] During the 1997–98 season, he was instrumental in leading his club to the UEFA Champions League semi-final, setting a French record by scoring seven goals in the competition.^[2][7] By his third season, he had received his first cap for the national team, and was part of the winning team in the 1998 FIFA World Cup.^[2] He continued to impress at his tenure with Monaco, and in his five seasons with the French club, the young winger scored 20 league goals in 105 appearances.^[6]

Henry left Monaco in January 1999, one year before his friend and teammate David Trezeguet, and moved to Italian Serie A club Juventus for £10.5 million.^[1] He played on the wing,^[8] but he was ineffective against the Serie A defensive discipline in a position uncharacteristic for him, and scored just three goals in 16 appearances.^[9]

Arsenal (1999–2007)[link]

Henry was made captain following the departure of fellow Frenchman Patrick Vieira to Juventus in 2005

Unsettled in Italy, Henry transferred from Juventus on 3 August 1999 to Arsenal for an estimated fee of £11 million, reuniting with his former manager Arsène Wenger.^[10][11] It was at Arsenal that Henry made his name as a world-class footballer,^[12] and although his transfer was not without controversy, Wenger was convinced he was worth the transfer fee.^[2] Brought in as a replacement for fellow French forward Nicolas Anelka, Henry was immediately moulded into a striker by Wenger, a move that would pay rich dividends in years to come. However, doubts were raised about his ability to adapt to the quick and physical English game when he failed to score in his first eight games.^[3] After several difficult months in England, Henry even conceded that he had to "be re-taught everything about the art of striking."^[3] These doubts were dispelled when he ended his first season at Arsenal with an impressive goal tally of 26.^[13] Arsenal finished second in the league behind Manchester United, and lost in the UEFA Cup Final against Turkish side Galatasaray.^[2]

Coming off the back of a victorious UEFA Euro 2000 campaign with the national team, Henry was ready to make an impact in the 2000–01 season. Despite recording fewer goals and assists than his first season, Henry's second season with Arsenal proved to be a breakthrough, as he became the club's top goalscorer.^[14] Armed with one of the league's best attacks, Arsenal closed in quickly on perennial rivals Manchester United for the league title. Henry remained frustrated, however, by the fact that he had yet to help the club win honours, and frequently expressed his desire to establish Arsenal as a powerhouse.^[2]

Success finally arrived during the 2001–02 season. Arsenal finished seven points above Liverpool to win the league title, and defeated Chelsea 2–0 in the FA Cup Final.^[2] Henry became the league's top goal-scorer and netted 32 goals in all competitions as he led Arsenal to a double and his first silverware with the club.^[1][14] There was much expectation that Henry would replicate his club form for France during the 2002 FIFA World Cup, but the defending champions suffered a shock exit at the group stage.^[2]

2002–03 proved to be another productive season for Henry, as he scored 32 goals in all competitions while contributing 23 assists—remarkable returns for a striker.^[14] In doing so, he led Arsenal to another FA Cup triumph (where he was man-of-the-match in the Final),^[15] although Arsenal failed to retain their Premier League crown.^[16] Throughout the season, he competed with Manchester United's Ruud van Nistelrooy for the league scoring title, but the latter edged Henry to the title by a goal.^[2] Nonetheless, Henry was named both the PFA Players' Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year.^[17][18] His rising status as one of the world's best footballers was affirmed when he emerged runner-up for the 2003 FIFA World Player of the Year award.^[12]

Henry in a game against Charlton Athletic in 2006

Entering the 2003–04 season, Arsenal were determined to reclaim the Premier League crown. Henry was again instrumental in Arsenal's exceptionally successful campaign; together with the likes of Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Vieira and Robert Pirès, Henry ensured that the Gunners became the first team in more than a century to go through the entire domestic league season unbeaten, claiming the league title in the process.^[19] Apart from being named for the second year running as the PFA Players' Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year,^[17][18] Henry emerged once again as the runner-up for 2004 FIFA World Player of the Year award.^[12] With 39 goals scored in all competitions, the Frenchman led the league in goals scored and won the European Golden Boot.^[1][20] However, as was the case in 2002, Henry was unable to lead the national side to honours during UEFA Euro 2004.^[2]

This dip in success was compounded when Arsenal failed again to secure back-to-back league titles when they lost out to Chelsea in the 2004–05 season, although Arsenal did win the FA Cup (the Final of which Henry missed through injury).^[6] Henry maintained his reputation as one of Europe's most feared strikers as he led the league in scoring,^[1] and with 31 goals in all competitions,^[21] he was the co-recipient (with Diego Forlán) of the European Golden Boot, and is currently the only player to have officially won the award twice in a row (Ally McCoist also had two Golden Boots in a row, but both were deemed unofficial).^[20] The unexpected departure of compatriot Vieira in mid-2005 led to Henry being awarded club captaincy, a role which many felt was not naturally suited for him; the captaincy is more commonly given to defenders or midfielders, who are better-placed on the pitch to read the game.^[1] Along with being chief goal-scorer, he was responsible for leading a very young team which had yet to gel fully.^[22]

After the retirement of Dennis Bergkamp, Henry regularly partnered Robin van Persie up front in the Arsenal attack

The 2005–06 season proved to be one of remarkable personal achievements for Henry. On 17 October 2005, Henry became the club's top goal-scorer of all time;^[23] two goals against Sparta Prague in the Champions League meant he broke Ian Wright's record of 185 goals.^[24] On 1 February 2006, he scored a goal against West Ham United, bringing his league goal tally up to 151, breaking Arsenal legend Cliff Bastin's league goals record.^[25] Henry scored his 100th league goal at Highbury, a feat unparalleled in the history of the club, and a unique achievement in the Premier League.^[26] He completed the season as the league's top goal-scorer,^[1] and for the third time in his career, he was voted the FWA Footballer of the Year.^[6]

Nevertheless, Arsenal failed to win the league title again, but hopes of a trophy were revived when Arsenal reached the 2006 UEFA Champions League Final. The Gunners eventually lost 2–1 to Barcelona, and Arsenal's inability to win the Premier League for two consecutive seasons combined with the relative inexperience of the Arsenal squad caused much speculation that Henry would leave for another club. However, he declared his love for the club and accepted a four-year contract, and said he would stay at Arsenal for life.^[18] Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein later claimed the club had turned down two bids of £50 million from Spanish clubs for Henry before the signing of the new contract.^[27] Had the transfer materialized, it would have surpassed the then world record £47 million paid for Zinédine Zidane.^[27]

Henry's 2006–07 season was marred by injuries.^[28] Although he scored 10 goals in 17 domestic appearances for Arsenal, Henry's season was cut short in February. Having missed games due to hamstring, foot, and back problems, he was deemed fit enough to come on as a late substitute against PSV in a Champions League match,^[29] but began limping shortly after coming on. Scans the next day revealed that he would need at least three months to heal from new groin and stomach injuries, missing the rest of the 2006–07 season.^[30] Wenger attributed Henry's injuries to a protracted 2005–06 campaign, and reiterated that Henry was keen on staying with the Gunners to rebuild for the 2007–08 season.^[28]

Barcelona (2007–2010)[link]

Henry in Barcelona colours

On 25 June 2007, in an unexpected turn of events, Henry was transferred to Barcelona for €24 million. He signed a four-year deal for a reported €6.8 (£4.6) million per season.^[31] It was revealed that the contract included a release clause of €125 (£84.9) million.^[32] Henry cited the departure of Dein and continued uncertainty over Wenger's future as reasons for leaving,^[33][34] and maintained that "I always said that if I ever left Arsenal it would be to play for Barcelona."^[35] Despite their captain's departure, Arsenal got off to an impressive start for the 2007–08 campaign, and Henry admitted that his presence in the team might have been more of a hindrance than a help. He stated: "Because of my seniority, the fact that I was captain and my habit of screaming for the ball, they would sometimes give it to me even when I was not in the best position. So in that sense it was good for the team that I moved on."^[36] Henry left Arsenal as the club's leading all-time league goal-scorer with 174 goals and leading all-time goal-scorer in Europe with 42 goals;^[1] in July 2008, Arsenal fans voted him as Arsenal's greatest player ever in Arsenal.com's Gunners' Greatest 50 Players poll.^[37]

Henry takes on Rio Ferdinand inside the Manchester United penalty area during the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final.

At Barcelona, Henry was given the number 14 jersey, the same as he had worn at Arsenal. He scored his first goal for his new club on 19 September 2007 in a 3–0 Champions League group stage win over Lyon,^[38] and he recorded his first hat-trick for Barça in a league match against Levante ten days later.^[39] But with Henry mostly deployed on the wing throughout the season, he was unable to reproduce the goal-scoring form he achieved with Arsenal. He expressed dissatisfaction with the move to Barcelona in the initial year, amidst widespread speculation of a return to the Premier League. In an interview with Garth Crooks on BBC Football Focus, Henry described missing life "back home" and even "the English press".^[40] However, Henry concluded his debut season as the club's top scorer with 19 goals in addition to nine league assists, second behind Lionel Messi's 10.

Henry went on to surpass this tally in a more integrated 2008–09 campaign, winning the first trophy of his Barcelona career on 13 May 2009 when Barcelona defeated Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey final. Barcelona won the league and Champions League soon after, completing a treble for the Frenchman, who had combined with Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto'o to score 100 goals between them that season. The trio was also the most prolific trio in Spanish league history, scoring 72 goals and surpassing the 66 goals of Real Madrid's Ferenc Puskás, Alfredo Di Stéfano and Luis del Sol of the 1960–61 season. Later in 2009, Henry helped Barcelona win an unprecedented sextuple, consisting of the aforementioned treble, the Supercopa de España, the UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup.^[41]

The following season, the emergence of Pedro Rodríguez meant that Henry only started 15 league games.^[14] Before the La Liga season ended, and with a year still left on his contract, club president Joan Laporta stated on 5 May 2010 that Henry "may go away in the summer transfer window if that's what he wants".^[42] After Henry returned from the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Barcelona confirmed that they had agreed to the sale of Henry to an unnamed club, with the player still to agree terms with the new club.^[43]

New York Red Bulls (2010–present)[link]

Henry facing Phil Jones in the 2011 MLS All-Star Game

In July 2010, Henry signed a multi-year contract with Major League Soccer (MLS) club New York Red Bulls for the 2010 season as its second designated player.^[44] He made his full MLS debut on 31 July in a 2–2 draw against Houston Dynamo, assisting both goals to Juan Pablo Angel. His first MLS goal came on 28 August in a 2–0 victory against San Jose Earthquakes. The Red Bulls eventually topped the MLS Eastern Conference by one point over Columbus Crew^[45] before losing 3–2 on aggregate against San Jose Earthquakes in the quarterfinals of the 2010 MLS Cup Playoffs.^[46] The next season, the Red Bulls were 10th overall in the league,^[47] and bowed out in the Conference Semi-finals of the 2011 MLS Cup Playoffs.^[48]

Henry on loan to Arsenal

After training with Arsenal during the MLS off-season, Henry re-signed for the club on a two-month loan deal on 6 January 2012. This was to provide cover for Gervinho and Marouane Chamakh, who were unavailable due to their participation in the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.^[49] Henry made his second Arsenal debut as a substitute against Leeds United in the FA Cup third round and scored the only goal.^[50] In his last league game on loan, he scored the winning goal in stoppage time in a 2–1 win against Sunderland.^[51] On 17 February 2012, Henry returned to Red Bulls to prepare for the 2012 season.

On 31 March 2012, Henry scored his first MLS hat-trick in a 5–2 Red Bulls win over Montreal Impact.^[52]

International career[link]

Henry enjoyed a successful career with the France national team, winning the first of his 123 caps in June 1997, when his good form for Monaco was rewarded with a call-up to the Under-20 French national team, where he played in the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship alongside future teammates William Gallas and David Trézéguet.^[1] Within four months, France head coach Aimé Jacquet called Henry up to the senior team. The 20-year-old made his senior international debut on 11 October 1997 in a 2–1 win against South Africa.^[53] Jacquet was so impressed with Henry that he took him to the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Although Henry was a largely unknown quantity at international level, he ended the tournament as France's top scorer with three goals.^[54] He was scheduled to appear as a substitute in the final, where France beat Brazil 3–0, but Marcel Desailly's sending off forced a defensive change instead. In 1998, he was made Chevalier (Knight) of the Légion d'honneur, France's highest decoration.^[55]

Henry was a member of France's UEFA Euro 2000 squad, again scoring three goals in the tournament, including the equaliser against Portugal in the semi-final, and finishing as the country's top scorer.^[56] France later won the game in extra time following a converted penalty kick by Zinédine Zidane. France went on to defeat Italy in extra-time in the Final, earning Henry his second major international medal.^[57] During the tournament, Henry was voted man-of-the-match in three games, including the final against Italy.^[58]

The 2002 FIFA World Cup featured a stunning early exit for both Henry and France as the defending champions were eliminated in the group stage after failing to score a goal in all three games.^[1] France lost their first match in group play and Henry was red carded for a dangerous sliding challenge in their next match against Uruguay.^[2] In that game, France played to a 0–0 draw, but Henry was forced to miss the final match due to suspension; France lost 2–0 to Denmark.^[2]

Henry returned to form for his country at the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup. Despite playing without team stalwarts Zidane and Patrick Vieira, France won, in large part owing to Henry's outstanding play, for which he was named Man of the Match by FIFA's Technical Study Group in three of France's five matches.^[1] In the final, he scored the golden goal in extra time to lift the title for the host country after a 1–0 victory over Cameroon.^[1] Henry was awarded both the adidas Golden Ball as the outstanding player of the competition and the adidas Golden Shoe as the tournament's top goal-scorer with four goals.^[1]

In UEFA Euro 2004, Henry played in all of France's matches and scored two goals.^[6] France beat England in the group stages but lost to the eventual winners Greece 1–0 in the quarter-finals.^[59] During the 2006 FIFA World Cup Henry remained as one of the automatic starters in the squad. He played as a lone striker, but despite an indifferent start to the tournament, became one of the top players of the World Cup. He scored three goals, including the winning goal from Zidane's free kick against defending champions Brazil.^[1] However, France subsequently lost to Italy on penalties (5–3) in the final. Henry did not take part in the penalty shoot-out, having been substituted in extra time after his legs had cramped.^[60] Henry was one of 10 nominees for the Golden Ball award for Player of the Tournament, an award which was ultimately presented to his teammate, Zidane^[61] and was named a starting striker on the 2006 FIFPro World XI team.^[62]

On 13 October 2007, Henry scored his 41st goal against the Faroe Islands, joining Michel Platini as the country's top goal-scorer of all time.^[36] Four days later at the Stade de la Beaujoire, he scored a late double against Lithuania, thereby setting a new record as France's top goal-scorer.^[63] On 3 June 2008, Henry made his 100th appearance for national team in match against Colombia, becoming the sixth French player ever to reach that milestone.^[64]

Henry missed the opening game of France's short-lived UEFA Euro 2008 campaign, where they were eliminated in the group stages after being grouped together with Italy, the Netherlands and Romania.^[65] He scored France's only goal in the competition in a 4–1 loss to the Netherlands.^[66]

The French team struggled during the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers and finished second in their group behind Serbia. During the play-offs against the Republic of Ireland, Henry was involved in a controversy in the second leg of the game at the Stade de France on 18 November 2009. With the aggregate score tied at 1–1 and the game in extra time, he used his hand twice to control the ball before delivering a cross to William Gallas who scored the winner.^[67] This sparked a barrage of criticism against the Frenchman, while national team coach Raymond Domenech and Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger defended him.^[68][69] The Football Association of Ireland lodged a formal complaint with FIFA, seeking a replay of the game, which FIFA declined.^[70] Henry said that he contemplated retiring from international football after the reactions to the incident,^[71] but maintained that he was not a "cheat"; hours after FIFA had ruled out a replay, he stated that "the fairest solution would be to replay the game".^[72] FIFA President Sepp Blatter described the incident as "blatant unfair play" and announced an inquiry into how such incidents could be avoided in future, and added that the incident would be investigated by the Disciplinary Committee.^[73] Blatter also said Henry told him that his family had been threatened in the aftermath of the incident.^[74] In January 2010, FIFA announced that there was no legal basis to sanction Henry.^[75]

Henry did not feature in the starting line-up for France at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. France drew in their first game against Uruguay, and lost 2–0 in their second against Mexico. The team was thrown into disarray when Nicolas Anelka was expelled from the team, and captain Patrice Evra led a team protest by refusing to train.^[76] In the final group game against host-nation South Africa in which Henry came on as a second-half substitute, France lost 2–1 and were eliminated from the tournament. He then announced his retirement from international football, having won 123 caps and scored 51 goals for Les Bleus.^[77]

Style of play[link]

Henry was the first-choice free kick taker for Arsenal

Although Henry played up front as a striker during his youth,^[3] he spent his time at Monaco and Juventus playing on the wing. When Henry joined Arsenal in 1999, Wenger immediately changed this, switching Henry to his childhood position, often pairing him with Dutch veteran Dennis Bergkamp.^[8] During the 2004–05 season, Wenger switched Arsenal's formation to 4–5–1.^[78] This change forced Henry to adapt again to fit into the Arsenal team, and he played many games as a lone striker.^[8] Still, Henry remained Arsenal's main offensive threat, on many occasions conjuring spectacular goals. Wenger once said of his fellow Frenchman: "Thierry Henry could take ball in the middle of park and score a goal that no one else in the world could score".^[79]

One of the reasons cited for Henry's impressive play up front is his ability to calmly score from one-on-ones.^[80] This, combined with his exceptional pace, means that he can get in behind defenders regularly enough to score.^[3][81] When up front, Henry is occasionally known to move out wide to the left wing position,^[82][83] something which enables him to contribute heavily in assists: between 2002–03 and 2004–05, the striker managed almost 50 assists in total and this was attributed to his unselfish play and creativity.^[23] Henry would also drift offside to fool the defence then run back onside before the ball is played and beat the offside trap, although he never provided Arsenal a distinct aerial threat.^[84] Given his versatility in being able to operate as both a winger and a striker, the Frenchman is not a prototypical "out-and-out striker", but he has emerged consistently as one of Europe's most prolific strikers.^[2] In set pieces, Henry was the first-choice penalty and free kick taker for Arsenal, having scored regularly from those positions.^[85]

Awards and honours[link]

Club[link]

Monaco

• Ligue 1 (1): 1996–97
• Trophée des champions (1): 1997

Arsenal

• Premier League (2): 2001–02, 2003–04
• FA Cup (3): 2002, 2003, 2005
• FA Community Shield (2): 2002, 2004

Barcelona

• La Liga (2): 2008–09, 2009–10
• Copa del Rey (1): 2008-09
• Supercopa de España (1): 2009
• UEFA Champions League (1): 2008-09
• UEFA Super Cup (1): 2009
• FIFA Club World Cup (1): 2009

New York Red Bulls

• MLS Eastern Conference (1): 2010

National[link]

France

• FIFA World Cup

Winner: France 1998

Runners-up: Germany 2006

• UEFA European Football Championship

Winner: Belgium & Netherlands 2000

• FIFA Confederations Cup

Winner: France 2003

• King Hassan II International Cup Tournament

Winner: Morocco 2000

Individual[link]

Henry has received many plaudits and awards in his football career. He was runner-up for the 2003 and 2004 FIFA World Player of the Year awards;^[12] in those two seasons, he also won back-to-back PFA Players' Player of the Year titles.^[17] Henry is the only player ever to have won the FWA Footballer of the Year three times (2003, 2004, 2006),^[18] and the French Player of the Year on a record four occasions. Henry was voted into the Premier League Overseas Team of the Decade in the 10 Seasons Awards poll in 2003,^[86] and in 2004 he was named by football legend Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers.^[87]

In terms of goal-scoring awards, Henry was the European Golden Boot winner in 2004 and 2005 (sharing it with Villarreal's Diego Forlán in 2005) and is the first ever player to retain the award.^[20] Henry was also the top goal-scorer in the Premier League for a record four seasons (2002, 2004, 2005, 2006).^[1] In 2006, he became the first player to score more than 20 goals in the league for five consecutive seasons (2002 to 2006).^[88] Henry is currently third in the list of all-time Premier League goal-scorers, behind Alan Shearer and Andy Cole. Given his accomplishments, France's all-time goal-scorer was in his prime regarded by many coaches, footballers and pundits as one of the best footballers in the world.^{[14][89][90][91]} In November 2007, he was ranked 33rd on the Association of Football Statisticians' compendium for "Greatest Ever Footballers".^[92] Arsenal fans honoured their former player in 2008, declaring Henry the greatest Arsenal player.^[37] In two other 2008 surveys, Henry emerged as the favourite Premier League player of all time among 32,000 people surveyed in the Barclays 2008 Global Fan Report.^[93][94] In 2009, Henry was voted the best Premier League player of the 2000s.^[95] On 10 December 2011, Arsenal unveiled a bronze statue of Henry at the Emirates Stadium as part of its 125th anniversary celebrations.^[96]