Thierry Henry has shared a pivotal moment in his career when former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger advised him that he was ‘wasting my time’ in the wrong role at Juventus. At the age of 47 and currently coaching the France squad at the Olympic Games in Paris, Henry reflected on how his life took a significant turn in the summer of 1999.
In an interview with the official Arsenal website, Henry recalled the moment that led him to move to Arsenal after just six months at Juventus. He recounted a chance encounter with Wenger during a flight back to Paris after a game between Juventus and Udinese.
“A few years after Arsène left Monaco, he came to watch a game between Juventus and Udinese that I played in. After the match, I was going back to Paris and he was on the same plane,” Henry said. “He told me he’d been at the game. We exchanged numbers and he told me that he didn’t understand why I was playing on the wing. At the time, I was actually playing as a wing-back!”
Wenger’s advice resonated with Henry, who had been playing as a left wing-back at Juventus. The conversation with Wenger ultimately led to Henry’s move to Arsenal for a fee that exceeded Juventus’ initial signing cost.
Despite his brief stint at Juventus, Henry made a lasting impact at Arsenal, scoring 228 goals and providing 97 assists in 377 games for the club. His time at Juventus may have been short-lived, but he still managed to contribute three goals and two assists in 20 competitive appearances for the Bianconeri.
