Aron Winter

Personal information
Full name	Aron Mohamed Winter
Date of birth	(1967-03-01) 1 March 1967 (age 45)
Place of birth	Paramaribo, Suriname (under Dutch Empire until 1975)
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Defensive midfielder
Club information
Current club	Toronto FC (head coach)
Youth career
0000–1985	SV Lelystad
1985–1986	Jong Ajax
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1986–1992	Ajax	187	(46)
1992–1996	Lazio	123	(21)
1996–1999	Internazionale	77	(1)
1999–2003	Ajax	51	(4)
2001–2002	→ Sparta Rotterdam (loan)	32	(1)
Total		469	(73)
National team
1987–2000	Netherlands[1]	84	(6)
Teams managed
2005–2009	Ajax A1 (assistant)
2007–2009	Ajax A2
2011–	Toronto FC
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Aron Mohamed Winter (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈaː.rɔn ˈʋɪn.tər], English approximation [VIN-ter]^[2]; born 1 March 1967 in Paramaribo, Suriname) is a retired Dutch football midfielder and current head coach of Toronto FC. He has played for Ajax and Sparta Rotterdam in the Netherlands, for Italian sides Lazio and Internazionale, and for the Dutch national team.

Playing Career[link]

AFC Ajax[link]

He began his career with amateur club Unicum, he also played for SV Lelystad, before joining AFC Ajax when he was 19 years old. His first game for Ajax was a match against FC Utrecht on 6 April 1986, which Ajax won 3–0. Winter won two KNVB Cups (1987 and 1988), the Eredivisie title (1990), the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (1987) and the UEFA Cup (1992) with the club before moving on to Italy, where he played for Lazio in 1992.

Lazio[link]

His role during his time at Lazio was to replace Paul Gascoigne, and he played the defensive midfield position for many years in the Serie A.

Inter Milan[link]

In 1996, Winter joined Inter Milan which won the UEFA Cup in 1998. He had also played in the previous year's final, with the game going to penalties. However, Winter missed his penalty as Inter lost to Schalke.

Sparta Rotterdam[link]

In 2001, he was loaned out to Sparta Rotterdam. He played 32 games for Sparta Rotterdam and scored one goal before finishing his career at Ajax, where he chose to retire.

Manager career[link]

After a 3 year Assistant coaching career with the Ajax first academy team, Winter signed a 3 year contract with Canadian side Toronto FC on January 6, 2011. Winter brought former colleague Bob de Klerk from Ajax to be his assistant coach, while Paul Mariner was also brought in the same day being named Director of Player Development at the club.^[3] After a disappointing season opener against Vancouver Whitecaps that ended in a 4–2 away defeat on March 19, Winter won his first game as Toronto's head coach the following week against Portland Timbers in a 2–0 home victory.^[4] Winter won his first trophy with Toronto in early July with a 3–2 win on aggregate over Vancouver, helping Toronto win its third consecutive Canadian Championship earning them a berth in the 2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League.^[5]

Winter led Toronto to its first ever Champions League semifinals, this was also the first time a Canadian club had made it this far in the competition.^[6] Toronto eventually lost 7-3 on aggregate in the semi's to Santos Laguna.^[7] Following a bright start to the season in continental play Toronto started the 2012 MLS season with nine straight losses, making Winter's 0-9-0 start is the worst start in the history of the MLS. ^[8]

International[link]

He was a member of the Dutch national team that won the 1988 European Football Championship.

In the 1994 FIFA World Cup, he scored a goal against Brazil in the quarter-finals.

He was also selected for the Dutch national team for Euro 96, as well as the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France.

He left Inter for his former club Ajax in 1999. Winter placed in Rijkaard's Euro 2000 squad.

Having represented his national team 84 times, scoring six goals, Winter is currently the eighth most capped player for the Dutch national team.^[9]

Managerial statistics[link]

As of 26 May 2012

Honours[link]

Player[link]

Ajax

• Eredivisie: 1989–90, 2001–02
• KNVB Cup: 1986–87, 2001–02
• UEFA Cup Winners Cup: 1986–87
• UEFA Cup: 1991–92

Internazionale

• UEFA Cup: 1997-98

Netherlands

• UEFA European Championship: 1988

Individual[link]

• Dutch Young Player of the Year (1): 1986

Manager[link]

Toronto FC

• Canadian Championship (1): 2011, 2012

See also[link]

• List of current MLS coaches
• Sparta Rotterdam season 2001–02

References[link]

External links[link]

• Aron Winter profile and stats at Wereld van Oranje (Dutch)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Aron Winter

Netherlands squads v t e Netherlands squad – UEFA Euro 1988 Winners (1st Title) 1 van Breukelen 2 van Tiggelen 3 Troost 4 R. Koeman 5 Winter 6 van Aerle 7 Vanenburg 8 Mühren 9 Bosman 10 Gullit 11 van 't Schip 12 van Basten 13 E. Koeman 14 Kieft 15 Koevermans 16 Hiele 17 Rijkaard 18 Suvrijn 19 Krüzen 20 Wouters Coach: Michels v t e Netherlands squad – 1990 FIFA World Cup 1 Van Breukelen 2 Van Aerle 3 Rijkaard 4 R. Koeman 5 Van Tiggelen 6 Wouters 7 E. Koeman 8 Vanenburg 9 Van Basten 10 Gullit (c) 11 Richard Witschge 12 Kieft 13 Rutjes 14 Van 't Schip 15 Roy 16 Hiele 17 Gillhaus 18 Fräser 19 Van Loen 20 Winter 21 Blind 22 Menzo Coach: Beenhakker v t e Netherlands squad – UEFA Euro 1992 semi-finalists 1 Van Breukelen 2 Van Aerle 3 Van Tiggelen 4 Koeman 5 Blind 6 Wouters 7 Bergkamp 8 Rijkaard 9 Van Basten 10 Gullit 11 Van 't Schip 12 Kieft 13 Menzo 14 Witschge 15 Winter 16 Bosz 17 De Boer 18 Jonk 19 Viscaal 20 Roy Coach: Michels v t e Netherlands squad – 1994 FIFA World Cup 1 De Goey 2 F. De Boer 3 Rijkaard 4 Koeman 5 Witschge 6 Wouters 7 Overmars 8 Jonk 9 R. De Boer 10 Bergkamp 11 Roy 12 Bosman 13 Van der Sar 14 Van Gobbel 15 Blind 16 Numan 17 Taument 18 Valckx 19 Van Vossen 20 Winter 21 De Wolf 22 Snelders Coach: Advocaat v t e Netherlands squad – UEFA Euro 1996 1 Van der Sar 2 Reiziger 3 Blind 4 Seedorf 5 Stam 6 De Boer 7 Taument 8 Davids 9 Kluivert 10 Bergkamp 11 Hoekstra 12 Winter 13 Numan 14 Witschge 15 Bogarde 16 De Goey 17 Cruyff 18 De Kock 19 Mulder 20 Cocu 21 Hesp 22 Veldman Coach: Hiddink v t e Netherlands squad – 1998 FIFA World Cup Fourth Place 1 Van der Sar 2 Reiziger 3 Stam 4 F. De Boer (c) 5 Numan 6 Jonk 7 R. De Boer 8 Bergkamp 9 Kluivert 10 Seedorf 11 Cocu 12 Zenden 13 Ooijer 14 Overmars 15 Bogarde 16 Davids 17 Van Hooijdonk 18 De Goey 19 Van Bronckhorst 20 Winter 21 Hasselbaink 22 Hesp Coach: Hiddink v t e Netherlands squad – UEFA Euro 2000 semi-finalists 1 Van der Sar 2 Reiziger 3 Stam 4 F. de Boer 5 Zenden 6 Seedorf 7 Cocu 8 Davids 9 Kluivert 10 Bergkamp 11 Overmars 12 Van Bronckhorst 13 Konterman 14 Van Vossen 15 Bosvelt 16 R. de Boer 17 Van Hooijdonk 18 de Goey 19 Numan 20 Winter 21 Makaay 22 Westerveld Coach: Rijkaard

Stephen Ireland

Personal information
Full name	Stephen James Ireland[1]
Date of birth	(1986-08-22) 22 August 1986 (age 25)
Place of birth	County Cork, Republic of Ireland
Height	1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[2]
Playing position	Attacking Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Aston Villa
Number	7
Youth career
1994–2001	Cobh Ramblers
2001–2005	Manchester City
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2005–2010	Manchester City	138	(16)
2010–	Aston Villa	34	(1)
2011	→ Newcastle United (loan)	2	(0)
National team‡
2005	Republic of Ireland U-21	1	(0)
2006–2007	Republic of Ireland	6	(4)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 16:33, 16 May 2012 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 20 October 2008

Stephen James Ireland (born 22 August 1986^[3] in County Cork, Republic of Ireland) is an Irish footballer who currently plays as an attacking midfielder for Premier League club Aston Villa.

Club career[link]

Cobh Ramblers[link]

Ireland started his career in Cobh, playing junior football for Cobh Ramblers, a team his father Michael had previously played for.^[4] Ireland was captain of the Cork Schoolboys League, Kennedy Cup team in 2000 and was the standout player in that tournament in Limerick in June 2000. In Cork's first game against Wicklow, which Cork won 2–0, he played against Irish boxer Katie Taylor. As a schoolboy, Ireland had trials with a number of British clubs, though several were discouraged by his Osgood-Schlatter disease, which he suffered from in his mid-teens. He eventually chose Manchester City, where he moved in August 2001, as a fifteen year old.

Manchester City[link]

In 2005, at the age of 18, he joined English Premiership club Manchester City. He played for the first team in a number of pre-season friendlies and made his competitive debut on 18 September 2005 against Bolton Wanderers, coming on as an 81st-minute substitute.^[5] He subsequently made his first competitive start against Doncaster Rovers on 21 September 2005. He won the Man of the Match award on his first Premier League start against Everton on 2 October 2005.^[6][7] He then started the next six matches for City, which won him a contract to keep him at the club until 2009.^[8] In the remainder of the season he participated in around half of Manchester City's matches, ending the season with a total of 16 starts and 12 substitute appearances.^[9] On 26 December, Ireland scored his first Premier League goal for City, a left footed volley from 20 yards. The goal proved to be the only goal in a vital 1–0 victory at Sheffield United's Bramall Lane. Ireland's second goal for City came against Sheffield Wednesday in the third round of FA Cup. His goal, scored just moments before the interval, was created by man of the match Joey Barton in front of 25,000 spectators at the City of Manchester Stadium. City went on to win 2–1.

On 18 February, Ireland rounded off the scoring for Manchester City in a 3–1 away win over Preston North End in the fifth round of the FA Cup with a stunning volley from outside the area.

Having started the 2007–08 Premier League season well with City, Ireland scored the only goal, a volley, in a 1–0 home win over Sunderland. His celebration for the goal courted some controversy, Ireland dropped his shorts to reveal a pair of underpants sporting the Superman logo, however the FA decided a warning would be the fairest course of action. Then in November against Reading he scored to keep Manchester City's home record at 100%. Two weeks later he was sent off in the 2–1 loss at Tottenham Hotspur and received a 3 match ban. However, Ireland erased that memory with a goal in the reverse fixture, which led Manchester City to a 2–1 home victory over Spurs.^[10] He scored his final goal of the season with a sweet strike in the 2–3 loss to Fulham. He got the ball just outside the left side of the penalty box and curved it over Kasey Keller into the top right corner. He finished the 2007–08 season with four goals.

He returned to the first team in a good individual and team performance in the 3–0 win against West Ham United. He finished the match with two assists, crossing for Elano to strike home. He opened his tally in the 3–0 away win at Sunderland. He scored again the in 2–2 draw at Newcastle United on 20 October. He scored both goals in the 2–2 draw at Hull City on 16 November,^[11] and opened the score in the successive league match against Arsenal. After netting in a 2–1 win over Everton, Ireland took his seasons tally to 13 in a memorable season for the Irishman.

On 20 May 2009, he was named Manchester City's Senior Player of the Year for his blistering performances throughout the 2008–09 season and as a result has secured a new five-year contract, keeping him at the club until 2014.^[12] He later became the Greater Manchester player of the Year.^[13]

He opened his account in the 2009–10 Season with an opening day goal in the 2–0 win at Blackburn Rovers.^[14]

He was substituted against Fulham after complaining of dizziness throughout the game. There were fears that his vigorous training scheme he went through over the summer may have led him to have a minor cardiac arrest, although these rumours were quickly denied. In the fourth round of the League Cup Ireland scored a curling shot against Scunthorpe United to help send his team to the quarter finals.^[15]

In December 2009, Mark Hughes was sacked as manager and was replaced by former Inter Milan manager Roberto Mancini. With the good form of Nigel de Jong, Vincent Kompany and new signing Patrick Vieira at the club, Ireland spent most of the second half of the season as a substitute. By the end of the 2009–10 season, he only scored three goals, which were all before Mancini's arrival. The club's manager Roberto Mancini said Ireland must change his head in order to play."I don't know what he is thinking about his future but, for me, Stephen is a fantastic player and if he can change his head I think he can start to play like last season [2008–09] again.^[16]

Aston Villa[link]

2010–11 season[link]

At the start of the 2010–11 Premier League season, Ireland was targeted to be transferred with loan to Aston Villa in exchange for James Milner, but the deal was held up when he demanded £2 million from Manchester City to agree to the move. On 17 August 2010 it was reported the deal had been done, and he was at Aston Villa's Bodymoor Heath Training Ground for a medical. The final price was £8million in a part exchange for Milner.^[17] Ireland signed a 4 year deal with the Midlands club. After completing the move, Ireland criticised his former club, saying that its young players were "money-obsessed" and that: "I guess James Milner must think the grass is greener on the other side. He's going to get a shock soon because it's definitely not that way".^[18]

Ireland made his debut for the club on his 24th birthday in an away fixture at Newcastle United. Ireland started and played for the full duration of the game as Villa were beaten 6–0. However, by the end of October 2010, Ireland had been dropped from the Villa team with manager Gerard Houllier publicly stating that he needs to work harder at his game.

In December 2010, rumours emerged that Aston Villa would transfer Ireland to Celtic F.C., possibly on a loan deal, with Celtic picking up the bulk of his salary. At the time, Ireland had only played in five of 14 Villa games.^[19] On 19 December 2010, Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier stated that Stephen Ireland was free to leave the club after having met with the player's representatives.

Newcastle United loan[link]

On the final day of the transfer window, 31 January 2011, Ireland joined Newcastle United on loan until the end of the season, with a view to a permanent deal.^[20] Ireland was already injured when he joined Newcastle United and suffered a number of setbacks, including a controversial nightclub incident with teammate Leon Best the night before a match.^[21] He finally made his debut on 19 April 2011 in a 0–0 draw with Manchester United, appearing as a 65th minute substitute. However, after appearing only twice and playing just 49 minutes of football for the Tyneside club, Ireland was ruled out for the rest of the season with an ankle injury, and was returned to Aston Villa.^[22]

2011–12 season[link]

At the start of the 2011–12 season, Ireland stated his intentions to remain at Aston Villa and fight for his place in the team under new manager Alex McLeish, despite having a disappointing first term at the club. It was also confirmed that he would take the number 7 jersey from Ashley Young who had recently joined Manchester United.^[23][24] Alex McLeish warned Ireland to create headlines on the pitch after being pictured posing with shisha pipe on Twitter.^[25][26] On 31 December 2011, Ireland scored his first ever goal for Villa in a 3–1 away win at Chelsea, scoring the opener and assisting the third goal in a man of the match winning performance. At the end of the season, after some impressive displays, Ireland was voted Aston Villa's Supporters' "Player of the Year" for 2011/12.

International career[link]

Ireland represented Ireland at under-15, under-16 and under-17 level,^[4] but when called up to under-18 level he had a dispute with coach Brian Kerr after he was left out of the side and told to watch the match from the stands. The team lost the match 4–0, and Kerr suggested Ireland would be involved in the next match. When Ireland was again left out, he requested to return to his club, and Kerr informed him that he would never play for the Republic of Ireland while Kerr was manager.^[27]

In January 2006 Kerr was replaced as Ireland manager by Steve Staunton. In Staunton's first squad, for a match against Sweden, Ireland received a senior call up for the first time. Ireland came on a substitute in the match, replacing John O'Shea.^[28] He scored his first international goal on 7 October 2006 in a 5–2 loss to Cyprus.

On 7 February 2007 Stephen Ireland saved the Republic of Ireland from a humiliating draw with San Marino with a last minute injury time goal. Final score was 2–1.

On 24 March 2007, he scored the first ever goal in Croke Park against Wales.^[29] This was his third international goal in just four matches. He also scored against Slovakia in Bratislava on 8 September 2007.

Controversy[link]

In September 2007, Ireland was at the centre of controversy when, in the immediate aftermath of a Republic of Ireland international match and days before their crunch game against the Czech Republic, coach Steve Staunton informed him of a telephone call just received from his girlfriend reporting the death of his maternal grandmother. Staunton quickly consented to Ireland's compassionate leave on these grounds, a private jet was chartered for his return.

However the media quickly discovered that Ireland's grandmother was not dead, at which point Ireland announced it was his paternal grandmother who died but yet again, reporters discovered that Ireland's paternal grandmother was also still alive, and her relatives had threatened to sue one newspaper that reported her death. Ireland changed his story again, saying one of his grandfathers had divorced, and it was his second wife who had died. That was also quickly discovered to be untrue.^[30]

Ireland eventually came out with the truth, admitting he had invented a reason to leave the Irish team in order to visit his girlfriend in Cork, who, he claimed, had a miscarriage. "I decided at that stage that I must tell the truth and admit I had told lies," Ireland said. "I realise now it was a massive mistake to say my grandmothers had died and I deeply regret it."^[31]

Irish coach Staunton was furious at Ireland. The coach's mood wasn't helped by the fact Ireland lost 1–0 to the Czechs, which effectively ended their hopes of qualifying for the Euro 2008 championships. Ireland said his girlfriend had miscarried and that "caused us to panic."

Exile[link]

On 20 October 2008, Ireland participated in a pre-match interview on Setanta Ireland, during which he stated that he was watching the Irish team regularly and that they were doing well. He also stated he would not be back in the foreseeable future.

Giovanni Trapattoni's desire to return Ireland to the national squad has been well documented in the Irish press (he and Liam Brady have allegedly met with the player with the hope of enticing him back), and levels of frustration among the Irish public over the situation have since intensified as the player produced exceptional form at Manchester City in the 2008–09 season.

Speculation abounded that Ireland might make himself available for a call-up to the national squad to face Georgia on 11 February 2009.^[32] However, when the squad was announced on 19 January, the player's name did not feature, and Liam Brady took the opportunity to explain to the press that he and Trapattoni had previously come to an agreement with the player whereby he would inform them when he felt like playing again, and that so far no contact had been made from the player's end.^[33]

On 19 February it was reported that Ireland had intimated to Manchester City team mate Shay Given that he would like to represent Ireland at the World Cup in South Africa in 2010 and that a return to the international fold was imminent, but when the Irish squad to face Bulgaria on 28 March and Italy on 1 April was announced, his name was once again omitted. Trapattoni revealed at the accompanying press conference that he himself did not believe Ireland would return, claiming that when he had met with the player months previously he had appeared withdrawn and reluctant to look the Ireland manager in the eye.^[34]

Ireland has now said that he will probably not return to the national team: "I always say 'never say never' because it's hard not to, but I don't think I'll ever go back."^[35] In August 2010, he restated that he would not return: "I watch Ireland matches like anyone else might do at this stage, but I don’t feel a part of it at all. It doesn’t make me feel like I should go back play again. That question is gone for me and the answer won’t change my mind."^[36]

On 30 March 2012, Ireland suggested that he would be willing to return to international football after Euro 2012.^[37]

International goals[link]

Goal	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	7 October 2006	Neo GSP Stadium, Nicosia	Cyprus	1–0	2–5	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
2.	2 February 2007	Serravalle	San Marino	2–1	2–1	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
3.	24 March 2007	Croke Park, Dublin	Wales	1–0	1–0	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
4.	8 September 2007	Tehelné pole, Bratislava	Slovakia	1–0	2–2	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying

Club statistics[link]

As of 19 March 2012

Honours[link]

Manchester City

• Player of the Season (2009)

Aston Villa

• Fans Player of the Season (2012)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Stephen Ireland

• Official website
• Manchester City squad profile
• Stephen Ireland career stats at Soccerbase
• ESPN Profile
• Premier League profile

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]