A Player For All Seasons
King Henry
By AJ The Gunner
July 15 2005
It was hardly in doubt it had to be Terrific Thierry. The French striker was confirmed as the Player of the Season on Monday on Arsenal.com.
Not even the news that our inspirational Captain has left will prevent me from enjoying Thierry Henry’s week. He deserves it; for he has already won the World Cup and European Championship, Two Premiership Titles, Three FA Cups, Two Golden Shoes and Three Golden Boots and he just gets better and better. His standards are so high that it's easy to take him for granted; He often scores goals for fun, and even produces moments of magic which takes ones breath away, and also takes the game to a different level. Thierry is one of world football's most electrifying talents. He is simply the world’s most deadly strikers, combining unmatched speed with tremendous vision, creativity with pure magic. His skill, pace, eye for goal, and selfless team play is simply out of this world. He is every defender's nightmare. Defenders have openly confessed to having nightmares the night before playing against Thierry, and with good reason. He is a deadly scorer, but he's also a proven winner. Chances are he will always find a way to beat an opponent as he's so confident and so quick that when defenders are catching up he has the ability to be composed again. Give him a split second of indecision and he'll be gone. Great vision, unbelievable skill, fantastic first touch, he is dazzling dribblers with phenomenal speed, and his coolness in front of goal is never in doubt. As usual, the Frenchman was in the frame for individual honors in 2004/05. For a second successive year Thierry finished second in the World Player of the Year polls, plus the Golden Boot in England and now he has scooped the Arsenal.com Player of the Season Prize. But if the world doubts his tremendous skills the statistics speak for themselves. Thierry was once again awesome last season, racking up 25 goals and 14 assists despite missing the run-in through injury. He scored five more in Europe making it 30 goals in 42 appearances last season, despite carrying a niggling injury for much of the campaign. That tally earned the 27-year-old a Golden Boot in England and a Golden Shoe in Europe and he starts the new season just four short of Ian Wright's Club record of 185 goals after surpassing Cliff Bastin's mark. The world's best strikers are usually known as pure scorers but that's not Thierry, he is a footballer beyond the normal. Conventional wisdom suggests that a player with Thierry’s speed and skill would be a natural fit on the wing. However Wenger has proven that with him anything is possible, and no matter what Thierry is a legend in the making. It’s only befitting to end with quotes that remind us how great Henry is; "What makes him special? He has a mixture of physical talent and technical ability, as well as remarkable intelligence and above all a great passion for the game."
"If you look at the whole package, with everything Henry has, I don't think you can find that anywhere else. You give him the ball in the right place and his acceleration will take him past any defender in the world."
"Thierry is the best striker in the world. By far he's the best in the world. Thierry doesn't just score goals. Even when he's not having a good day he can make an important pass. He is a strong character. If things go wrong, he bounces straight back. His effect on the club is very big."
"He can do things Ronaldo can't. When he's in the mood there's no stopping him. He is like no other striker."
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Former Arsenal striker Alan Smith"There is only one word to describe Henry —a nightmare. He is one of the best strikers in the world and a kind of player a goalkeeper doesn't want to face."
"He's a wizard with his feet and is blessed with a gift for scoring goals. His best quality is his speed while the ball is at his feet. He may be the fastest man ever to lace up a football boot. No defender in the world can keep up with him."
"People say he doesn't score a lot of goals with his head, but does he really have to with the ability he has in his feet? He makes spectacular goals look easy. His technique is fantastic."
"He is the greatest striker ever. TERRIFIC THIERRY a.k.a Air France cos he's got something that even Michael Schumacher driving round 20 cheetahs in a Formula One car would be envious of; Phenomenal speed so if want to race with him towards the goal post. Then ... On your marks ... Get set .... oops … you can’t catch him cos he has already scored a goal."
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AJ The Gunner