Soccer (Football)
7 things we learned from Thierry Henry’s Lade Out podcast drop-in
French legend Thierry Henry joined the Lade Out podcast, and the episode with the former New York Red Bulls forward is an absolute must-listen.
Thierry Henry, who is heading to the World Cup in November as Belgium coach Roberto Martínez's right-hand man, spent four seasons with the New York Red Bulls, scoring 51 goals in 122 appearances and bringing the curtain down on a remarkable playing career.
After coming through at French club AS Monaco, Henry made his name at Arsenal where he won two English Premier League titles, including the memorable one in 2003-04 when they were unbeaten. He also spent three successful seasons at Barcelona and played at four World Cups for France, coming away with a winner’s medal in 1998 and helping them reach the final in 2006.
Initially a winger, he became a striker at Arsenal, but was often found lurking out wide, and terrorised defenders with his mixture of grace and power. Here are some of the highlights from his podcast appearance:
01
He had to work a lot harder than people think
Henry could make playing football look effortless at times – but that’s misleading, he says. In fact, he believes there is a general lack of recognition for the amount of training footballers have to put in.
“Sometimes people devalue the skills of a football player because we made it look easy,” he says.
“You should have seen me cross the ball with my left foot when I was young or dribbling or anything. I put in the hours; I didn't wake up bending the ball into the top corner – have you seen my big feet? The only gift I had was that I was quick.”
02
He prefers to talk about his assists rather than his goals
Although he scored more than 400 goals during his career, they are not his favourite memory.
"People talk about my goals but I always talk about my assists. People say, 'Thierry, you never laugh when you score' and I say, 'But I laugh when I pass the ball.' Pure joy.
“When I score, what am I supposed to do? You gave me the ball and I put it in. For me, it's all about sharing.”
03
Changing relationships between the coach and the player
Henry has noticed great changes in the way players can approach their coach compared to when he was a player.
“I couldn't speak to my coach,” he recalled, adding that, in his day, telling the coach about a problem would almost certainly see a player get dropped for the next game.
"Now, your coach will tell you: ‘If you have a problem, come to my door. Let me know if you're not feeling well’.”
04
Players less likely to play through pain
Continuing in the same vein, he believes that players are less likely to play through pain or fatigue thanks to more trusting relationships with club staff.
Henry says that, in his day, if a coach asked him if he was in pain, he would say ‘no’ and would then say he could play.
“You leave the room and can't bend the knee, but you can't say it,” he says. “Nowadays, you can say 'I think I might skip this game because I'm not feeling well'. "
05
He regrets not giving himself time to settle in New York
He admits that he did not give himself enough time to prepare for his first game for the New York Red Bulls after his move from Barcelona.
"I remember a mistake on my part. I arrived. I had only one week holiday from finishing the (last) season. They asked me if you want to play straight away, and I said yes. But I shouldn't have played, I wasn't ready. Yeah. And it took me a while to get going."
06
Challenging conditions when he arrived
Henry admits that, when he first arrived at the club in 2010, conditions were challenging – particularly on the training pitch. He was also shocked to see players crammed into a small car to save money.
"One day, I arrive at training and I see about 10 guys getting out of the same car, and the car is small as hell. You can see they haven't had breakfast,” he says.
"They are sleeping in the same house, taking the same car and going to training to save money for petrol." One even had a second job. "He was a DJ, part-time footballer. I won't say names."
07
Weird coincidences
Life is full of coincidences, and Henry has had plenty.
His first match and goal at the World Cup was against South Africa in 1998 and his final match was also against the Bafana Bafana, 12 years later.
His 100th and 200th goals for Arsenal in all competitions were both against Birmingham City, while his first and 100th Premier League goals were against Southampton. When he briefly returned to Arsenal in 2012, he scored against Leeds United with 12 minutes to go -- the 12th goal he had scored against them. "It's crazy," he says.
Listen to the Lade Out podcast from New York Red Bulls here!