Thierry Henry

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Thierry Henry has achieved so much during his time as a footballer, but few moments in his career rival his 2003-2004 season with Arsenal.  That season, Arsenal went unbeaten in the league, the first team to do so since 1889.  The only other team to achieve this feat was Preston who played only half as many games as the Londoners.  Arsenal finished the season with a record of 26 wins, 12 draws, and 0 losses.[1]  In honour of their tremendous feat, the Premiership commissioned a golden Premiership trophy for the team.[2]

Arsenal 4-Liverpool 2, 4.9.04

Despite the incredible success the team had, none of it would have been possible without Henry.  When things looked bleak for the team, Henry was always there, and he produced some moments of pure brilliance to ensure that his team went undefeated.  One of the more memorable moments was Arsenal’s 4-2 victory over Liverpool to put themselves 7 points clear at the top of the table.  Arsenal were recently knocked out of both the FA Cup and the Champions League, so things were looking down as Liverpool raced to an early lead thanks to a Sami Hyypia header.  But of course, it was Henry who drew the team level.  But he had more in store.  After Liverpool had pulled ahead again, Pires and Henry struck quickly in 2 minutes to put themselves a head.  Henry’s second goal was simply stunning, and is remembered as one of his greatest strikes.  He calmly collected the ball in midfield, cutting through defenders, leaving them falling down or laughably colliding with each other in his wake.  As he sheared his way into the penalty box, he coolly slide the ball across the face of goal into the back of the net.  Highbury erupted and people stood in awe of the goal.  Henry finished off a brilliant night for himself and the team, scoring his third and Arsenals forth as the game drew to a close.

France 1-Brazil 0, 7.1.09

Another incredible moment for Henry came in the 2006 World Cup.  It was a repeat of the 1998 final, as France and Brazil were facing each other in the quarter-finals.  Despite having the upper hand in the first half, the French were unable to break the deadlock.  Les Bleus had been unimpressive for the opening games of the tournament, but they began to come alive in the knockout stages.  Zidane was playing especially well, and Henry and Frank Ribery were giving the opposition defenses fits.  France knew they would have to be at their best to beat one of the favourites of the tournament.  In the second half, Zidane produced a man-of-the-match performance and tipped the game in favor of the French.  The French won a “dubious” free kick outside of the box and Zidane stepped up to take it.  You could see the desire dripping from the eyes of the French attackers as they prepared to go running into the box.  Zidane drove a cross across the face of goal, and Henry ghosted in, unmarked, where the ball was “sumptuously volleyed past the Brazilian goalkeeper.”  Once again, Henry was doing was he does best.  There was no hesitation with his finish, and in the end it was enough for the French.

[1]http://www.arsenal.com/history/club-records/the-unbeaten-record
[2]http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/51204716/Getty-Images-Sport

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