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“Take Your Effing Ego” – Thierry Henry Travels 16 Years Back to Candidly Recall Playing Alongside Lionel Messi

Published 10/13/2023, 12:46 PM EDT

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Thierry Henry has been there and done that in his time as a player. Henry led Arsenal to domestic glory by winning 2 Premier League titles and 3 FA Cups and is arguably one of the North London club’s greats. However, Henry’s most trophy-laden spell came in the colors of Barcelona where he won the treble. But now, the former France World Cup winner has elucidated on what it was like playing with Leo Messi.

Henry played for Barcelona between 2007 and 2010 and was an integral part of current Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering Blaugrana side. But coming to recent events, Henry revealed it all in conversation on Gary Lineker, Micah Richards and Alan Shearer’s ‘The Rest Is Football’ podcast, especially talking about what it was like playing alongside a then-upcoming Lionel Messi.

Thierry Henry suggests players put ego aside to run for Messi’s Barcelona team

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Speaking with Gary Lineker and his co-hosts on their ‘The Rest Is Football’ podcast when asked about what it was like to play alongside Messi, Henry said, “I mean it was Messi’s team let’s all be honest. You take your effing ego on the side whatever you did before or you didn’t do when you arrived at Barcelona you didn’t win anything I’m talking about myself what did you win Thierry? Nothing!”

“So you look like okay we’re going to run for this guy, and this guy on the top of everything scores four every game!” What do you mean to say? You have to be dumb and stupid to turn around and go like ‘Oh me too I’ll do my things, I’ll put pressure, I have to score my goals, also because I’m not a nobody too’,” he added.

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Further, he went on to say, “What people do not understand sometimes in big teams, big players, big competitors, important players are willing to do whatever it needs to be done to win, regardless of who is going to be the frontman.”

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Although these statements are Henry’s candid take on Barcelona legend Leo Messi from yesteryear, the ex-Arsenal striker is currently manager of the France U21 team and the French Olympics team. But as per reports, he hasn’t spoken to Kylian Mbappe on whether the PSG star will feature for France at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

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Henry reveals the status of Mbappe playing for France at the 2024 Paris Olympics

As per recent reports, speaking about whether Mbappe would play for France at Paris 2024, Henry said, “No, I haven’t spoken to Kylian about it,” “Even though, like everyone else, I’ve heard that he’d like to do them.”

via Imago

Henry is aiming to win gold at Paris 2024 and he will start working with France’s Olympic soccer team from March 2024 onward. The report further states that the French soccer federation is expecting a top-four finish but Henry, being the winner he is, remains determined to win gold on home soil.

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Nevertheless, whether Mbappe will join Henry’s Olympics side to feature at Paris 2024 remains unknown but it’s certain that soccer fans in France will hope he eventually takes part in the tournament.

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Written by:

Gaurav Krishnan

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Gaurav is a soccer writer at EssentiallySports and is a seasoned sports journalist. Before joining the Essentially Sports team, he made significant contributions to platforms such as Caught Offside (UK) and Sportskeeda (IN). His experience in soccer journalism allows him to delve deeply into the nuances of the sport, uncovering the stories that make soccer more than just a game—a culture, a passion, a way of life.
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Edited by:

Jayant Chhabra