Arsenal and Barcelona face off in the Round of 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday night. With the first leg set to take place at Emirates Stadium and the second at the Camp Nou, one particular player has found great success with both clubs.
There is no question that Thierry Henry is an Arsenal legend. The club’s highest goal scorer (228 goals) won the Premier League Golden Boot four times under Arsene Wenger and was one of the Invincibles that went an entire season unbeaten.
But he did also make a name for himself after the move to Spain. He may not have been the star man in a world class lineup, but he did his bit, especially in his second season when his 26 goals in all competitions played a crucial role in Barcelona’s sextuple in Pep Guardiola’s first season.
The two clubs have met several times before in recent years in the competition. With the big match a little over 24 hours away, the two clubs decided to showcase Henry’s best goals on Twitter. Barcelona kicked things off with his trademark side-footed finish against Real Madrid.
Arsenal were quick to respond and put up a Vine video of his famous goal in the north London Derby against Tottenham Hotspur. The solo goal was one of his greatest in an Arsenal shirt and the celebration has now been immortalised in bronze outside the Emirates.
Barcelona then responded with a well-worked team goal against Atletico Madrid involving Xavi and Lionel Messi who set up Henry and the Frenchman finished off the move he started with a long-range strike that surprised the goalkeeper who stood no chance of saving it.
Arsenal countered with the goal aptly described as ‘vintage’. His goal against Liverpool where he ran through the entire midfield and defence, even embarrassing his fellow Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher in the process, is fondly remembered by Gooners worldwide.
The Catalan club went on to showcase another long-range strike that saw Henry find the top corner with ease.
But perhaps nothing comes close to one the all-time greatest goals ever scored in the Premier League. Henry’s goal against Manchester United from outside the box that left the defenders and goalkeeper for dead is arguably the best goal of his career because of the sheer audacity to try his luck from such a position.
Barcelona clearly had no answer to that one and only wished Tuesday night’s game would see goals as electrifying as Henry’s. And with the attacking players on display from both sides, we could see a cracker of a game.
