Arriving to the Highbury in 1999 fresh off a 1998 World Cup win with France, Thierry Henry established himself as a world-class winger in the world of football. Little did he know, Arsene Wenger would transform a skilled winger into one of the most lethal box-to-box centre forwards to ever play the beautiful game.

After emerging as a promising talent under skipper Arsene Wenger’s first team AS Monaco, where Thierry Henry spent most of his youth playing, Henry transferred to Juventus in 1999 where a quick spell would turn sour, gifting the greatest Gunner to ever play.

On August 3, 1999 in North London, the birth of a legend was taking place. Failing to score in his first eight appearances, a cloud of doubt on Henry’s ability to play in a physical league began to surface. However, after netting 26 goals in his first year as a Gunner, Wenger’s critics would quickly be silenced. In his eight years at Arsenal, Thierry would go on to lead the Gunners in all time goals with 228 goals in 377 total appearances – Henry leads Arsenal with most goals (175) in club history in Premier League (30 in one season), European competition (420 and Champions League (35).

With the likes of Sol Campbell, Fredrik Ljungberg, Dennis Bergkamp and Robert Pires, Thierry Henry led the charge in the 2003-2004 campaign to an undefeated season of 26 wins and 12 draws. The Gunners 2003-2004 team is now known as ‘the Invincibles’ as they rallied off 49 games in succession, unbeaten.

One of Thierry’s most memorable moments came in his return to the Emirates on loan in 2012, where Henry rolled back the years, scoring an emphatic goal in a 1-0 win over Leeds in the third round of the FA Cup. With his last four appearances in an Arsenal kit in 2012, Thierry Henry finished his career unbeaten against Tottenham as a Gunner.

Thierry Henry’s unique combination of pace, strength, and awareness compliment his eye for goal has crafted the best Arsenal player in club history. Henry’s ability to show up in big European games (beating Real Madrid at the Bernabeu in 2006) has branded Arsenal with an identity as a top club in Europe. Thierry Henry’s contributions to Arsenal will never be duplicated.

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