Recently, current head coach of the French Olympic team, Thierry Henry, gave an exclusive interview to Arsenal FC, where he revealed the reason behind his move to Arsenal.
The former Arsenal legend said: “A few years after Wenger left his position as Monaco’s head coach, he came to watch a match between Juventus and Udinese, which I also played in. After the game, I boarded a flight back to Paris, and coincidentally, Wenger was on the same flight. He told me that he watched the entire match, and then we exchanged numbers. He couldn’t understand why I was playing as a winger when, at that time, my position was actually as a full-back.”
Henry continued: “He told me I was wasting my time. He remembered me as a number 9 striker. He also said that if we were to meet again, it would be a great outcome. That’s when my destiny began to change.”
It was this unexpected meeting on the flight that led to Henry joining Arsenal six months later for a transfer fee of €16.1 million. Juventus had initially signed him from Monaco for €12.5 million.
Subsequently, Henry made 377 appearances for Arsenal, scoring 228 goals and providing 97 assists. It’s somewhat ironic that during his time at Juventus, where he was used as a left-back, he played 20 games, scoring three goals and providing two assists.