Thierry Henry: On This Day in 1999 the Arsenal Legend Joined the Gunners for a Club-Record Fee

On August 3rd 1999, Arsenal competed the signing of Thierry Henry from Juventus, as he became the Gunners' record signing for a fee of £11m.

His introduction to the media saw Henry join Arsene Wenger on the Highbury turf to hold aloft the number 14 shirt, with which he would become synonymous.

The French forward had only joined ​Juventus earlier that year, but he struggled to settle in Turin, where he scored just three goals in 20 league appearances, featuring primarily on the left side of midfield.

Wenger, who had previously worked with Henry at Monaco, was aware of the talent the 21-year-old possessed and pounced on the opportunity to sign the skilful attacker.

Little could he have known however, that the Frenchman would go on to make himself the club's record goalscorer, win a host of trophies and become one of the greatest players to ever grace the ​Premier League over the next eight years.

Despite a tough start in English football, where he failed to score in his first seven outings, Henry went on to bag 17 goals in each of his first two Premier League campaigns. Despite his own success, trophies alluded him.

The 2001/02 season proved to be third time lucky for the striker, as he scored 31 goals in all competitions to lead ​Arsenal to a memorable double-winning campaign. This season may be remembered best by fans as the year in which they secured the title in the penultimate league game at Old Trafford.

Whilst Henry was unable to feature in that particular match, he was integral to one of the club's most successful campaigns of all time and he was recognised as such when he was chosen in the the PFA Team of the Year. He also picked up the Premier League Golden Boot for his 24 league goals - the first of four golden boots in five years.

So continued the most glittering period of his career, as the 2002/03 season saw him lift the FA Cup once again and receive the first of his two consecutive PFA Player of the Year awards. 

The following year, Henry was the standout figure of the 'Invincibles', who did the unthinkable and went the entire 2003/04 Premier League season unbeaten - the first team to ever do so in a 38-game season. 

Henry formed a formidable partnership with Dennis Bergkamp during his time in north London and they arguably hit their peak during this season, as the duo's telepathic understanding caused havoc for opposition defences.

Henry bagged an incredible 30 goals, as he completed the full 90 minutes in all but one of the Gunners' fixtures that year. Relentless as ever, Henry continued in the same vain over the course of the following two campaigns, adding 63 goals and one FA Cup medal to his name.


The 2005/06 campaign saw Henry heavily linked with a move to ​Barcelona. Such was the Barca fans' desire to see Henry move to the Nou Camp, a pitch invader entered Arsenal's ​Champions League semi-final with Villarreal and forced a Barca shirt on the Frenchman - much to his embarrassment.


The Gunners went onto to win that tie and set up a final with the Catalan club, but ultimately lost 2-1 to Barca after a valiant display. 

Thierry Henry

Henry's next campaign was to be hampered by injury as he made just 17 league appearances (still scoring ten goals, mind). Arsenal's first season in their new stadium proved to be Henry's last in his eight-year stay in north London, as he finally got his move to Barca in the summer of 2007. 


Despite his departure, he continued to please Arsenal fans, as his Barca side beat ​Manchester United in the 2009 Champions League final.


A move from ​La Liga to the New York Red Bulls in 2010 appeared to signal the beginning of the end of his incredible career, as he looked to play his final years in the comfort of the ​MLS.


However in January 2012, with the Gunners struggling in the league, Wenger called upon his most successful striker one last time, as he brought Henry back to the Emirates on a short loan spell at the age of 34. Many criticised the move and predicted Henry would taint his memory among the fans. That was far from the case.

Thierry Henry

In his first game back, the Gunners were struggling at 0-0 against Leeds United in the FA Cup and Wenger chose to bring on the popular veteran to save them. He did just that within ten minutes of his introduction, grabbing the winning goal to send home fans, and himself, into delirium.


In five further appearances, he scored two more goals, taking his total tally for the Gunners to a mouth-watering 228.


Two years later Henry announced his retirement from the game. While his playing days are now long gone, the memories Arsenal fans have of him will live on for years to come.



Source : 90min