Soccer Genius Thierry Henry Says He Was Driven by Fear

There are great goalscorers, and there are scorers of great goals. Thierry Henry was both: He obliterated scoring records with elegant artistry, and he helped redefine the center forward’s role in soccer starting around the turn of the century. Henry did it with a lethal combination of speed, creativity, and supreme confidence punctuated with uniquely French cool. He won a World Cup at age 19 in 1998 , then became a global star at Arsenal and a central figure of England’s Premier League just as it was gaining a foothold in America. Later, at Barcelona, he won the Champions League alongside a young Lionel Messi, then spent five seasons with the New York Red Bulls until he retired in 2014, though he still lives in the city part time.

His longtime coach, Arsene Wenger, encapsulated Henry