Thierry Henry has had a long and illustrious playing career, in France, Italy, Spain and now the United States. But has the time come for the 36-year-old to retire?
Gerard Houllier, global director for New York Red Bulls, implied as much. Naturally he was asked about Henry after the Red Bulls’ friendly victory over Arsenal. Here’s what he had to say:
“I’ll have a talk with Thierry soon and of course I’ll know. I have an idea, I think he wants to retire,” said Houllier according to Big Apple Soccer. “I think he wants to retire but we need to check with him. His performance today was good.”
Henry began his senior career under Arsène Wenger at Monaco in 1994, going on to score 20 goals for the club. He then moved to Juventus, but seemed not to fit well into Serie A, and quickly went back to Wenger, who was now at Arsenal. Henry spent nine years with the Gunners, ultimately captaining the side, collecting a host of individual awards and team trophies, and eventually getting a statue erected in his honor at the Emirates.
Henry then joined up with Barcelona, where he helped his side to two La Liga titles and the Champions League title. But by summer 2010 it was time for the forward to move once more, this time to Major League Soccer. He’s been with Red Bulls ever since, excepting a brief loan return to Arsenal.
So after such a long and illustrious career, it’s no wonder Houllier believes that Henry is most likely considering retirement. But when asked about his fellow Frenchman’s comments, Henry simply said “We’ll talk at the end of the season.”
Yes, many players do retire in their mid-thirties. But Frank Lampard, also 36, just signed for New York City FC, who won’t even start play until Lampard is almost 37. Didier Drogba, the same age, has just returned to Chelsea to continue his career. Perhaps the legendary Henry doesn’t need to hang up his boots just yet.