He is considered one of the greatest strikers of all time, [ 4 ] and one of the greatest players in Premier League history. He has been named by Arsenal as the club's greatest ever player. Henry made his professional debut with Monaco in before signing for defending Serie A champions Juventus. In October , he became his country's record goalscorer , a record he held until December After retiring, Henry transitioned into coaching.
He began coaching Arsenal's youth teams in February , in tandem with his work as a pundit for Sky Sports. In , he was appointed as an assistant coach at Belgium , before assuming the role as the head coach at Monaco in He was born and raised in Les Ulis suburb of Paris which, despite sometimes being seen as a tough neighbourhood, provided good footballing facilities.
His father pressured him to attend training, although the youngster was not particularly drawn to football. In , Monaco sent scout Arnold Catalano to watch Henry, then at the age of 13, in a match.
Catalano asked him to join Monaco without even attending a trial first. After a tentative start to his Monaco career, Henry was named the French Young Footballer of the Year in , and in the —97 season , his solid performances helped the club win the Ligue 1 title. However, doubts were raised about his ability to adapt to the quick and physical English game when he failed to score in his first eight games. Coming off the back of a victorious UEFA Euro campaign with the national team, Henry was ready to make an impact in the —01 season.
Despite recording fewer goals and assists than his first season, Henry's second season with Arsenal proved to be a breakthrough, as he became the club's top goalscorer. His goal tally included a spectacular strike against Manchester United where he flicked the ball up with his back turned to goal , before he swivelled and volleyed in from 20 yards out. The team also reached the final of the FA Cup , losing 2—1 to Liverpool. Henry remained frustrated, however, by the fact that he had yet to help the club win honours, and frequently expressed his desire to establish Arsenal as a powerhouse.
