He was a class player and an absolute joy to watch while he was with us. Hands down one of the best players we’ve seen play for Arsenal in the last fifteen years, and that’ll probably remain true for the next fifteen years in addition.
There are far better uses of my energy than spending it hating this guy nearly ten years on from his departure.
Everyone’s entitled to how they feel about him. Don’t agree with fans clapping when he’s playing for another PL team especially a rival, any ex Arsenal player. I hate that shit, do it when they retire. I didn’t like the way he left us for Barca, a bit classless imo especially that we gave him a chance to shine. Could have done that with a bit more class.
Still think his best years were with Arsenal, was never the same player when he left us although he won a shit load more. Don’t dislike him cause he joined Chelsea, the way he left us left more of a bad taste for me.
Seems like a nice guy, and respect him for what he did for Arsenal. But meh, don’t hate him just not on the very top level for me, like Bergkamp and a few others.
He was in his prime and had a choice between playing with Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, David Villa for the CL or Chamakh, Bendtner, Song, Denilson for the 4th place trophy
Perspective
Plus he’d already put off the move for 2 seasons as it was
Yeah he gave us 8 years, 6 of which I’d say were good. Nowadays that would be a great spell.
It’s a bit ironic that it’s the same time Henry gave us, and then he ended up leaving in very similar circumstances to Henry yet nothing is ever said about that.
There used to be a really good cesc at Arsenal tribute video on YouTube back in the day. It was about ten minutes long and had the theme song from the film sunshine as the background music. At one point it even had Jacky boy stepping out from behind cesc in a nod to him taking his place.
Either copyright got it or the uploader deleted it after the Chelsea move as I’ve not been able to find it in years.
I’ve said it before. If Arsenal would have won the title in 07/08 nobody would have been as butthurt for Cesc (or van Persie) leaving. That is the only difference between them and Henry and Vieira.
I think they left a bit differently tbf mate.
Henry didnt throw himself at Barcelona, he didn’t have (if the stories are to be believed) fake injuries, he didn’t sit with his mates from the opposition in the stands when he was Arsenal captain at the Nou Camp.
Henry was exemplary while he was at Arsenal. Fabregas was questionable.
Didn’t go to the Formula 1 either
Of course. Because with Henry Wenger probably thought Henry had his best years behind him going into his age 31-year. Making the decision a lot easier.
Henry still left in a professional manner. We’re agreed on that
The perspective is completely different. If he was 4 years younger and Arsenal decided against having him sold he’d probably would have shown the same behaviour.
Maybe the point is Henry didn’t want to leave. He was professional all the way through.
Because Arsenal were winning. This loyalty thing is a two-way street. As soon as it became apparant to him he wasn’t going to win the Champions League with Arsenal, gone was he. Same as Cesc. Cesc started to realise he wasn’t going to win jack shit. Barcelona was winning everything. Hence his exit.
We don’t know that. You gave the example of Vieira. Linked with Real Madrid every close season. He did nothing to quash those rumours. That was when we were winning things.
Close season of 2003. Henry was linked with Chelsea. He didn’t even think twice about leaving Arsenal
I know that. Because when it comes down to it every footballer is a cunt. Except for maybe Totti and De Rossi. Of course not. That was Chelsea in very early stages of what they would become.
So you know what was going through Henry’s head?
Yup. If he loved/was so loyal towards Arsenal why couldn’t he stay and help with the rebuild? We needed experience and leaders at that time. He was much better than Adebayor still.
Because of the reasons you outlined. He was 31. I imagine the Henry sale was very much engineered by Arsenal as it was Henry
That was my original point. Henry did his service for Arsenal with a couple of titles, hence nobody was mad when we sold him. Cesc too did his service for Arsenal, sadly because of the Eduardo leg break we never know how that season would have developed, but with that 07/08 title nobody would be butthurt. Regardless of how he would have acted.
Absolutely not.
Vieira, for example, isn’t held in quite as high regard as Henry because he was flirting with a potential new suitor every summer. He was just as successful, if not more so, than Henry. It’s because of that that there is some animosity towards Vieira. The home game against Juve in 06, for example, where Vieira was roundly booed whenever he touched the ball.
Success does not infer loyalty. Professionalism, also, is lost on the likes of Fabregas