Former winger Robert Pires has now revealed what Thierry Henry was really like behind the scenes at Arsenal.
Robert Pires and Thierry Henry are both Arsenal legends.
The pair were important elements of the Gunners’ attacking contingent during the most successful period in the North London club’s recent history.
Pires and Henry were both key figures throughout the 2003/04 campaign, when Arsenal won the Premier League title without losing a single game in the top flight of English football. That side were subsequently dubbed the Invincibles, and their achievement remains unmatched in English football.
What are Robert Pires, Thierry Henry, and Edu doing now?
Arsene Wenger was at the helm at that time, and now Mikel Arteta is aiming to guide Arsenal to their first title triumph in 20 years.
Current Arsenal sporting director Edu was also part of the Invincibles squad. Pires has recently admitted that he has been surprised by Edu’s success at Arsenal in his post-playing career.
Meanwhile, Henry has gone into coaching and has campaigned for William Saliba to be allowed to join his France squad for the upcoming Olympic Games.
Pires hung up his boots in 2015. In his playing career, the 50-year-old spent six seasons on the books at Arsenal between 2000 and 2006. In that time he made 287 appearances for the club, across all competitions, and racked up 87 goals. He won two Premier League titles and was part of two FA Cup triumphs.
Robert Pires recalls what Thierry Henry was really like as Arsenal became the Invincibles
The 79-cap former France international has now reflected upon the Invincibles season, and what it was like working with Henry on a day-to-day basis at that time.
Speaking to FourFourTwo, he said, “it was so fun playing with Thierry around that time. But he was a winner and he didn’t accept when he’d lost. “He’s really competitive and not just in games – training sessions were the same. He’d never accept being on a losing side. I think that’s why we stayed unbeaten so long. Thierry was too competitive!”
Henry is arguably the greatest player in the North London club’s history. He is the all-time leading Arsenal goalscorer, as he amassed 228 goals in 377 games for the club. For all of his natural talent, it was his elite mentality, and relentless desire to win and improve, which drove him to such extraordinary heights, as suggested by Pires.
The Gunners’ search for the new Henry is still ongoing. Arsenal have been linked with a number of strikers ahead of the upcoming summer transfer window, as Arteta’s squad currently lacks a world-class centre-forward.