Arsenal
MLS gets stronger as Arsenal legend goes Stateside
Henry, 32, had 12 months remaining on his Barçelona contract, but the Catalan club has agreed to allow him to leave on a free.
By Ashley Mann.
Former Arsenal captain and all-time leading goalscorer Thierry Henry has joined the New York Red Bulls on a ‘multi-year’ contract. Henry, 32, had 12 months remaining on his Barçelona contract, but the Catalan club has agreed to allow him to leave on a free. He told the US press,
“It is an honour to play for the New York Red Bulls.
“I am fully aware of the team’s history and my sole goal during my time here is to help win the club its first championship.”
Henry had fallen behind Pedro Rodríguez and Bojan Krkic at Camp Nou, and played only 53 minutes of a France’s catastrophic World Cup campaign. Although undoubtedly in the winter of his career, some would argue Henry could still play at a high level in Europe.
He has, however, chosen to end his career in the MLS, a league that is suddenly making real strides. Big name captures like Henry, David Beckham and Freddie Ljungberg obviously help attract European attention, but the impressive performances of the national team have now started to get the US public onside too. This is something Sir Alex Ferguson spoke about about earlier today,
“There is no doubt American soccer is starting to make an impact. It has certainly improved.
“The MLS is definitely getting stronger, I have spoken to many people over the last few months about it. There is a big upsurge
Henry, who scored a record 226 goals for Arsenal and 51 for France, is set to partner ex-Aston Villa striker Juan Pablo Angel in New York and Red Bulls fans must surely expect goals galore from what is now easily the league’s deadliest duo. Whether that will be enough to appease New York’s considerable Irish contingent is still to be seen.
Do you think this is the right move? Let us know in the comments below.
