Thierry will be giving Pep talk
2008 to 2010, and although he was phased out under him, the Frenchman remains an avid admirer.
“Pep is the reference for me,” said Henry, who has appointed Arsenal’s Under-18s coach Kwame Ampadu as his assistant in Monaco.
“We learnt how to play the game when I went to Barcelona under him. With Pep you can talk about the game, he will not even go to sleep and will still talk about the game – you will fall asleep and he’s still talking about it. The invention he had, he’s well ahead of the game, I saw it closely.
“You learn from people, they inspire you. But you also need to put your own little mix in it.
“Talking about the managers I had, I learnt with a lot of them, every single one of them.
“Whether they challenged me, whether sometimes they were doing the wrong stuff, that’s when you learn the most – when things are not going well.
“Arsene unlocked a lot of stuff in my mind, made me understand what it was to be a professional, what it was to perform.
“I will never forget that. I will always carry some of the stuff he was doing around with me.” For all of the glory of his time at both Barcelona and Arsenal, Henry always had a real soft spot for Monaco.
“When the offer came, it was quite logical, my heart talked,” said Henry. “You know the connection I have with one club in London, but this is where I started.
“This club will always have a big place in my heart. So to be able to come here and start here again is a dream come true, I won’t lie to you.
“There’s a lot of work to do, but I’m more than happy to be here.”