LifeBogger presents the Full Story of a football Legend best known by the Nickname; ‘El Mimo’.
Our version of Thierry Henry’s Biography, including his Childhood Story, brings to you a complete account of notable events from his Boyhood days right until he became famous.
The analysis of Thierry Henry’s Bio involves his life story before fame, family life and many OFF and ON-Pitch little-known facts about him. So without further ado, let’s Begin.
Thierry Henry Childhood Story – Early Years and Family Background:
For his Biography starters, Henry was born on born 17 August 1977 in Les Ulis, Essonne a suburb of Paris by his dad, Antoine Henry and mother, Maryse Henry.
Both parents were migrants. His father, Antoine, is from Guadeloupe (La Désirade island), and his mother, Maryse, is from Martinique. Both came to France to better their lives.
Henry’s family lived in a small apartment, and the living conditions were not very supportive, but Antoine encouraged Henry to play sports and invest his energy into athletics.
He used to take Henry to local soccer matches. Thierry Henry soon became bonded with other immigrant children of his district through constant participation and improvement in soccer games.
It was soon quite evident that Henry was a way better soccer player than the other children of his age. He started playing for the junior team of Les Ulis and Palaiseau.
At the age of 13, Henry started playing for the Viry-Chatillon’s Under-15 team.
His abilities were impressive enough to earn him a spot in CO Les Ulis’ youth club.
Thierry Henry Biography – Separation of his Parents:
Just about the time when Thierry Henry need his parents most, the unfortunate happened. Both parents separated. It was his mother who won the quest to have custody of Thierry after many battles for child custody.
His mother took him away from his dad and his lovely football town to Orsay, where she got him admitted into the Alexander Fleming School to focus on academics.
Having known that wasn’t his calling, Thierry Henry later bolted out. He switched to soccer.
At 14, they elected him into the French Football Federation’s Clairfontaine Academy.
Thierry Henry Facts – Career Summary:
At the academy, Henry signed an apprentice contract with the manager of the Monaco team, Arsene Wenger.
He made his first professional appearance in football in 1994 in a 2-0 loss against Nice. Wenger put him on the left wing.
In 1996, Henry became France’s Young Player of the year under the guidance and training of Arsene Wenger. He led France’s under-18 team to the European Championship and scored seven goals in the competition.
As a result of his splendid performances at other tournaments, he became a part of the French FIFA World Cup 1998 team.
He continued to play for Monaco and impressed everyone with his brilliant performance. He scored 20 goals in 105 matches.
In 1999, Henry left Monaco and became a part of the Italian Series A club Juventus. They paid him a sum of 10.5 million pounds to join the team.
In the same year, he scored his first goal for the team, two in a 3-1 defeat of league leaders Lazio.
After some time, he was transferred to Arsenal for a sum of 11 million pounds and there he was untied with his old mentor Arsene Wenger. The rest, they say, is history.
Thierry Henry Claire Merry Story:
Thierry Henry meet English model Claire Merry while filming the Renault Clio adverts in 2001. Both fell in love at first sight. On July 5th 2003, they got married at Highclere Castle.
They had their first child, Tea, on May 27th 2005. She is now a grownup.
Thierry Henry Divorce Story:
Footballer Thierry Henry and make-up artist Sadie Hewlett started having an affair after they worked on a photo shoot together.
Apparently, Henry’s wife, Claire Merry, found out her husband was cheating and filed for an £8m divorce settlement, which she went her way.
This painful divorce happened after Theirry Henry was just transferred to FC Barcelona.
According to Henry, “A divorce is never easy, even more so with a daughter in the middle”. The ex-Arsenal player also speaks of his love for his daughter Tea and says that becoming a father helped to change him.
Thierry Henry Biography – Finding Love Again:
After his messy divorce, Thierry Henry found true love again. He moved quickly into a new relationship, which today is said to have lasted longer than his last.
Thierry Henry found love again in Bosnian model Andrea Rajacic. They met in 2008 and have been spotted on various vacations and outings together.
They certainly match a stunning couple, and there seems to be no trouble in paradise. One wonders why the two aren’t married yet or if the subject has ever arisen between them.
Nowadays there’s no particular need to put a ring on it and why ruin a perfectly good relationship with a wedding? Plenty of celebrity couples remain unmarried and have been happy together for many years.
Given that Thierry has been there and done that, and it turned into a mess, it seems understandable that he wouldn’t want to do it again.
Thierry Henry Football Idol:
NBA once organised a special one-on-one interview between Thierry Henry and basketball legend Kobe Bryant, where both the players discussed their footballing idols.
To everyone’s surprise, both the players mentioned the name of Dutch star and AC Milan legend, Marco van Basten, who is one of the greatest players of his time.
“Marco van Basten was my favourite player,” said Henry. “[He is] one of the best strikers in history. I saw him when I was a child and how he hit the ball was incredible. I tried to imitate his every move.”
Thierry Henry Biography Facts – His Favorite Goal:
Henry scored some real belters in his time at Arsenal. The Frenchman scored 228 goals for the Gunners and continues to be the highest goalscorer in the London club’s 130 odd-year history.
However, his favourite goal was not one where he scored a sensation volley or dribbled through a large number of players. It was instead the one he scored against Leeds United in his first game back in an Arsenal shirt.
“That one was personal. It won’t go down in FA Cup history, but it was the first time I scored as a fan.”You know, I wasn’t meant to come back, and I came back.
I wasn’t meant to play; I played. I wasn’t meant to score; I scored. It was so emotional. It wasn’t about technique or about the score, it was what it meant to me.”
Thierry Henry Biography Facts – His Favorite Premier League Player:
This one will definitely delight Manchester United fans. In an exclusive with Sky Sports, Henry revealed that the best player he has played against and seen in the Premier League is none other than United midfield legend, Paul Scholes.
Henry stated that Scholes has never been given the credit he deserves and the central midfielder was absolutely crucial to Manchester United’s success in the Ferguson era. The Frenchman added that if he had to select a team, it would revolve around Scholes.
“(He’s) one of the best, if not the best, I’ve played against, he could do anything.”If I had a Paul Scholes in my team, everything would be around him.
At Manchester United, they saw it like that, but I think Paul Scholes is one of the best I’ve played against in this league and seen anywhere.”
Loves Food:
Despite Arsene Wenger’s insistence on a balanced, plain diet, Henry would munch his way through half a packet of Jelly Babies before each game. He always bit the head off first.
Despite being strict on his fitness, the Frenchman loves to gorge on Chicken, peas, rice and Caribbean food.
His Mentor:
Thierry Henry did not end up at Arsenal the usual way. The transfer actually happened after a chance meeting between Wenger and Henry.
The striker revealed in an Arsenal Legends documentary that he accidentally met Wenger aboard a flight to Paris and expressed his desire to join him at Arsenal.
The Arsenal manager then got down to work, and Henry became an Arsenal player in August 1999.
After moving to Juventus, Henry had a hard time adjusting to Italian football. Four months into his tenure there, he met Arsene Wenger on a flight to Paris and told his former Monaco boss he’d love to join him at the Gunners.
When Nicolas Anelka was sold to Real Madrid in the summer of 1999, Wenger remembered that conversation and paid the Italian side £10m for his protege. It worked out quite well.
Thierry Henry Untold Biography Facts – Pre Match Ritual:
The legend, in an exclusive interview with Four Four Two, revealed that he did not have many pre-match rituals and would only listen to high tempo rap music or Zouk music to get him in the zone before a match.
Some of his favourite artists are Dr Dre, Snoop Dog, Xzibit, Wu-Tang Klan and Tupac.
Music has always been a big part of Henry’s pre-match plans, and the player is glad that coaches and managers are more liberal with its use nowadays.
“It works differently for me because music is always on in my life – whatever I’m doing. When I’m in my house, in the car, out and about.
Music takes me back to different places. If I want to go back to when I was young and see myself playing with my dad I know exactly what music to listen to. And I know what music to play to put me in the mood for a game.”
Thierry Henry Facts – Favorite Song:
Henry has always stressed that music was his way of getting in the zone. But the song that was always on his playlist was Queen’s ‘We are the Champions’.
The Frenchman revealed that he would always listen to the song and say ‘I’m not’, but once France won the World Cup, he actually started connecting with the song.
“I’ll always remember winning the World Cup and listening to that song – they’re connected for me.”
Thierry Henry Tattoos:
Henry is definitely a marked man who is also known for his love of tattoos. He has once unveiled a stunning full sleeve tattoo on his right arm, adding to his already elaborate body art.
The tattoo is sported proudly on the left arm of a ginger-bearded man clad in what appears to be a black vest and with a gold chain around his neck.
The new tattoo adds to the New York themed bodyart on his left arm.
The tattoo on Henry’s left arm features the Statue of Liberty and what appears to be the Brooklyn Bridge.
A Big Fan of Basket Ball:
If you believe that Henry was only a big football fan, you’re mistaken. The striker has, for all obvious reasons, a strong dislike for Spurs when it comes to football, but is a big San Antonio Spurs fan when it comes to basketball.
In fact, he has been spotted on occasions donning the San Antonio Spurs hat and jersey.
Kobe Bryant of LA Lakers (now retired) and Tony Parker of San Antonio are two players that Henry often hangs out with. The Frenchman has even visited his compatriot Parker during his practice sessions.
Thierry Henry Movies:
Henry’s interest in movies is not just restricted to watching them on the big screen. The French footballer has also starred in a few films.
Apart from the Goal movie series, the Frenchman has also featured in Entourage, the movie version of the famous TV show.
Henry has also been a part of documentaries like The Referee, Substitute and 1:1 Thierry Henry, all of which are based on football in one way or another.
Loves Dancing:
Henry is good with his feet, not just when it comes to football but on the dance floor as well.
The player has often shown his moves on the football field in various hilarious ways. Henry totally fits the Caribbean stereotype and absolutely loves dancing.
In his biography, Lonely at the Top, the Frenchman revealed that after the World Cup win in 1998, he and the other French players danced through the night on a makeshift dance floor with the World Cup trophy in between while he improvised some great Russian dance steps.
The Stature:
Arsenal Football Club has today honoured a trio of Club legends by unveiling three statues outside Emirates Stadium.
That of Thierry Henry was commemorated in bronze. This was made at Arsenal’s 125th-anniversary celebration.
Thierry Henry Biography – LifeBogger Rankings:
Find below our analysis of the Arsenal Legend’s rankings, compiled during his prime.
Hale Hendrix
Hi there! I am Hale Hendrix, a passionate football enthusiast and writer dedicated to uncovering the untold stories of footballers' childhood and biography. With a deep love for the beautiful game, I have spent countless hours researching and interviewing players to bring to light the lesser-known details of their lives.
