In Mumbai, Henry wins hearts even without scoring many
MUMBAI: On the makeshift football turf at NSCI’S Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium on Wednesday, something unusual was happening. Arsenal legend Thierry Henry had the ball at his feet and was being beseeched by the Arsenal fans to score.
Ordinarily you wouldn’t need to ask Henry to score. After all, he’s a man who has put the ball into the net 228 times for the Gunners — often spectacularly.
“Henry, we want you to score,” the 3000-plus fans sang from their seats.
But he made an exception and kept passing the ball to the young players from the Arsenal Soccer School who he was giving football lessons to.
Over the last few years, many former Arsenal players like Freddie Ljungberg, Robert Pires, Sol Campbell, Nicolas Anelka and Ray Parlour have descended on these shores. But the reception Henry got showed just how much he meant to a generation of fans who have grown up watching him play. For years, he had held them in a thrall with his skills. This was their moment to serenade him.
“How is India treating you,” the emcee asked the 39-year-old as he entered the stadium.
“Thierry Henry, Thierry Henry, Thierry Henry, Thierry Henry,” the crowd answered for him in unison.
Finally, Henry was able to answer on the third attempt. “I wasn’t expecting this kind of reception,” he said simply as bedlam broke out in the stands again.
Henry charmed with his footwork, action and his words.
At his football session with youngsters, he did not score but showed that he was still a footballer whose game was tailormade for slow-motion Youtube montages.
Only once a young footballer managed what many seasoned defenders in the English Premier League could not: he tackled the ball away from Henry’s feet. As the crowd’s exclamations rent the air, Henry merely shrugged at the fans and quipped: “Guys, I don’t have anything left to prove.”
As the young footballers crowded him with requests to autograph their shoes and jersey at the end of the session, a player passed him a chit with a message for Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil, which Henry pocketed with a smile.
Eventually, he didn’t score many goals, but he won the fans over nonetheless. “CAN’T SEE WENGER AS ENGLAND BOSS”
AFP ADDS: Henry believes there was no way he could see his former boss Arsene Wenger filling the vacant England man ager’s position.
Wenger, who recently cel ebrated his 20th anniversary as manager of Arsenal, has been strongly linked with the job following the sacking of Sam Allardyce last month.
“You can never say never but I personally don’t see it happen ing,” Henry told reporters add ing: “I think he answered him self recently when he said that the England manager should be English. That’s his own words. I said recently that Arsene likes to be on the field on a daily basis and when you’re coach of a national team you don’t get to do that.”
Wenger has been on the receiving end of severe criti cism by some fans frustrated by Arsenal’s failure to win the Premier League since 2004.