There goes Thierry Henry – just another football mercenary

There goes Thierry Henry – just another football mercenary

SINGAPORE, Aug, 6 2007, (espnstar.com) - As Thierry Henry and his complaining colleagues at Barcelona mess around in Asia, I’m finding it increasingly difficult to contain the anger that has welled up inside me since the Frenchman opted to leave Arsenal for pastures new.

The sight of him lounging around Beijing on Sunday, made me livid, made me scream at the television, made me, well – it made me down right disgusted.

For the record, I have been privileged to see Monsieur Henry on more than one occasion and am happy to reveal my utter admiration for him as a footballer.

I remain mystified how someone who once claimed that he would always be a Gunner, can leave north London only months after signing a new and outrageously lucrative four-year contract

The 30-year-old is a talented individual capable of demonstrating extraordinary skills whilst lighting up every ground he deigns with his presence. A true superstar who has wowed audiences both domestically and internationally.

Now whilst this praise will be echoed by many around the globe, I remain mystified how someone who once claimed that he would always be a Gunner, can leave north London only months after signing a new and outrageously lucrative four-year contract.

Come on Thierry, be honest, was that any way to treat the thousands of Arsenal fans who were captivated by your every move? Was that any way for an Arsenal captain to behave? Somehow, I don’t think so.

Don’t get me wrong, I really do wish Henry all the very best in Spain, surely though he must realise that for someone who was on the verge of being an absolute Arsenal legend - he has behaved atrociously.

Yes, any player has to mind their own interests, but after declaring his allegiance to Arsenal, he is utterly wrong to change his mind so dramatically and decide that he actually wanted to play elsewhere.

Forget the legend tag - Henry has proved to be someone whose word is worth absolutely nothing, someone who finds it easy to go back on promises and leave when the going gets tough. Arsenal’s fans deserve to be treated better than that.

As the scorer of some 226 goals for the three-time Premier League winners, it can be argued that Henry had every right to declare that enough is enough before heading off to pastures new.

With his close ally and former Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein no longer with the Emirates Stadium outfit, and another dear friend, manager Arsene Wenger, refusing to commit himself to the club beyond the end of next season, Henry clearly feels that the time is right to sample life elsewhere. Perhaps.

Dein’s shock departure undoubtedly rocked the club as a whole and Henry in particular to the core. The concerns surrounding Wenger’s future are also clearly a problem. In these uncertain times, Arsenal needed their brightest star to shine like never before. Unfortunately for them, they got the exact opposite.

Just when Henry was needed to maintain a degree of continuity and show a deep level of commitment to the cause, just when he was the perfect role model for the club’s exciting crop of up and coming youngsters, he has jumped ship and chosen to ply his trade in the Nou Camp. The shame of it.

Loyalty? I’m not sure Thierry can even spell the word never mind understand what it means. It’s a good job the average football supporter isn’t as fickle.

As the faithful file through the Emirates turnstiles next season, Henry will be settling into his Catalan surroundings, the deal he happily agreed to in May 19, reduced to nothing more than a worthless piece of paper. Welcome to modern day football!

Given his outrageous ability and the multitude of wonderful moments Henry has given me, I’m convinced it will be difficult to remain annoyed with the France international for too long. The positives far outweigh this particular negative if you like.

Sadly, his Barcelona move will - for me and many others - always be remembered for all the wrong reasons and by choosing to leave in the way he did, he has made it patently obvious that football is more about the individual than the beautiful game itself.

Thierry Henry may be a superb footballer, but even with the smiles on show in Asia, there can be little doubt that he has definitely let himself down.