My light shines on Arsenal

Chapter 75 My name is Henry
My name is Henry, Thierry Henry.

I am 34 years old this year.

I'm old.

I was the best striker in the world, the king of Highbury, the beginning of thousands of people falling in love with football.

But now, I'm old.

I remember where I was born, a suburb of Paris.

My dad always played football with me, even though he knew I had no interest in it.

But as a young me, there was no other entertainment in my life except football.

When I was 16, I came to the youth academy in Monaco.

I was playing football with a group of kids at the youth academy in Monaco, and one day a tall Frenchman came to see us train.

"He is Arsene Wenger, the manager of Monaco."

My coach told me.

"Thierry, if you practice hard, maybe one day, you can play for him."

Yeah?I looked at Mr. Wenger from a distance, and Mr. Wenger also noticed me.

But I didn't play a few games for Mr Wenger.

At the age of 17, he left France.

I asked my coach, where did Wenger go?
The coach told me that he went to a distant island country and maybe he wouldn't return to Europe for many years.

Later, I came to Italy.

At Juventus, I didn't like my coach, Carlo Ancelotti.

I know many people like this uncle, but I don't like him and he doesn't like me.

He wanted to take me away from this team and go on loan somewhere.

Besides, I don’t want to stay in Italy anymore.

The players here are obsessed with moving like machines, obsessed with when to take a step forward and when to take a step back, as if football is a game of precise calculation.

Isn't the fun of football about hitting the ball into the goal in a variety of ways you can't imagine?

So, I left Italy and came to England.

This time, the person who came to greet me was the tall Frenchman I had seen from a distance in the summer when I was 17 years old.

"Thierry, now, you're part of Arsenal," he said.

I put on the red and white jersey and I love Highbury every day.

I have a great group of teammates and a great head coach.

I don't have to be bound by where I am, or by whose requirements.

I can move on the court any way I like, my only job is to score the ball into the goal.

People call me the king of Highbury and I believe I will be the best striker in the world.

I put on the captain's armband, and I look forward to one day when I can wear the red and white team uniform and hold the big ear cup.

We almost did it.

I still remember that year in the Champions League when we faced the challenge of Real Madrid.

I passed Ronaldo, I passed Guti, I passed Ramos.

I went from the middle circle all the way to the gate line.

I still remember how panicked Casillas was, but he couldn't stop me.

No one can stop me.

I saw Mr. Wenger cheering on the sidelines, that was my happiest moment.

The big ear cup is very close to us.

Eventually, we came back to Paris, to my hometown.

That day, it rained heavily.

We lost the game.I wasted too many opportunities.I watched my opponents in red and blue striped shirts hold the cup.

I squatted on the field and counted how many grasses there were on the ground.

The rain fell from the top of my head, my eyes were blurred, and the eye sockets were warm.

I don't know if it's rain or tears.

"Thierry, stand up."

Mr. Wenger stood behind me.He always dressed himself meticulously, but the rain in Paris wet his hair and wet his clothes.

I could be sad and sad, but he had to comfort his kids and tell them it wasn't a big deal.

I'm sorry Mr. Wenger.I didn’t bring him a championship.

A few years later, I joined Barcelona.

I will not betray Arsenal. Although I left the team, I renewed my contract with the team ahead of schedule.

I left everything I could for the team.

"Thierry, I wish you the best of luck. You can win the championship."

When I took off my red and white jersey and said goodbye to Wenger, I didn't dare to look at him.

I feel like I'm ashamed of him, but I really, really want a championship.

I have a new group of teammates who are talented and gifted.

I have a partner named Eto'o, his nickname is Cheetah, he is really fast.

I have a little partner named Messi. He is not tall and loves to laugh, but he is really a genius.

I won the Champions League.

I was very happy, I watched my bald coach Pep Guardiola screaming from the sidelines.

What a familiar scene...

Many years ago, Mr. Wenger was also like that.

I held up the big ear cup that I dreamed of, but at that moment, I wished that the jersey I was wearing was red and white.

After all, I did not bring a European title to my beloved club.

Now, I am old.

I am 34 years old.

I was sitting on the bench at the Emirates Stadium, next to a grizzled Mr. Arsene Wenger, watching the team's knockout stages of the Champions League.

Yes, at the end of my career, I came back here briefly, back to Arsenal.

I am no longer familiar with this place. We have a new stadium and all the teammates I am familiar with are gone.

Mr. Wenger's hair has turned gray. I haven't seen him cheering for a long time. I only see him standing alone with his head bowed.

But, I also met some interesting people.

Mr. Wenger likes one of his assistants very much. My God, he is even willing to hand over games like the Champions League to him to practice.

He's a very young coach, he's so young that he can make the same mistakes that any young man would make.

But he has a brilliant mind and precious qualities.

I decided that while I was here, I would do what I could to help him.

Because Mr. Wenger also cared for us in this way back then.

All this is like a dream.

Years later, I'm back to square one.

The years at Highbury have become an old dream. I wonder if the turf there still remembers a boy who once ran on it?

I sat there and looked around.

I seemed to see the time train passing by. The 17-year-old boy jumped off the train and breathed in the salty sea breeze of Monaco.

This may be my last Champions League game.

I couldn't bring Arsenal the Champions League, but today I can leave us with a hope.

Arsenal almost did a miracle, it's [-]-[-] and we have a penalty.

Robin van Persie walks up to the penalty spot.

I didn't like the player, I hated his character and I always felt he wasn't as loyal as he appeared to be.

However, he was a powerful striker and one of Mr Wenger's finest creations.

If he scores the goal, we will equalize.

Coach Chen Yao asked me to warm up, and Mr. Wenger smiled at me like he did many years ago.

"Thierry, believe in yourself."

He said.

I really wanted him to continue talking, because this might be the last piece of advice he gave me in the Champions League.

For all the years to come, I will never be able to go to the Emirates Stadium, wear the Arsenal shirt, and play in the Champions League knockout rounds.

When I first came to England, I didn't score in eight consecutive rounds. At that time, Mr. Wenger said the same to me.

Thierry, believe in yourself.

Van Persie really scored the penalty.

Now, the total score is four to four.

We have almost achieved a miracle.

But it's still close - someone needs to give AC Milan the final blow.

We're going to overtime.

It's only half an hour. Although I am old, I will spend the rest of the time reminding everyone who the King of Highbury is.

This is my last dance.

I will show no mercy.

My name is Thierry Henry, and now, I'm going to play.

(End of this chapter)