Thierry Henry has subbed off for the final time in his career.
On Tuesday morning, the French legend, who spent the past four and a half years with the New York Red Bulls, announced his retirement from soccer. He will now move back to London and join Sky Sports.
"It has been an incredible journey and I would like to thank all the fans, team mates and individuals involved with AS Monaco, Juventus, Arsenal FC, FC Barcelona, the New York Red Bulls and of course the French National Team that have made my time in the game so special," Henry wrote on his Facebook page.
Henry, 37, is retiring after more than 20 years as a professional. He leaves the game as one of the most feared strikers of his generation, having scored more than 350 goals in all competitions, including 52 total for the Red Bulls (regular season and playoffs) and a club record 228 for Premier League side Arsenal.
Everywhere Henry played, he found success. He started his career in 1994 with French club AS Monaco, where he won the 1996-97 Ligue 1 title. That year, he was named the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year.
The following year, Henry played for his country in the 1998 FIFA World Cup alongside more established global stars such as Zinedine Zidane, Didier Deschamps, and Marcel Desailly. Henry, relatively unknown outside of France at the time, scored a team-high three goals in the tournament as Les Bleus won their first ever World Cup, in front of their home fans.
His World Cup success led to a big-money transfer to Italian giants Juventus in 1999, but he struggled to find his feet in Italy and moved to Arsenal after just a half season in Turin.
In North London, he was reunited with Arsene Wenger, who had given Henry his debut at Monaco in 1994. With Arsenal, the club he remains most associated with, Henry was at the peak of his talents. He led the Gunners to two Premier League titles (2002, 2004) and three FA Cup trophies (2002, 2003, 2005).
The 2003-04 season with Arsenal remains one of legend in England, as the club become the first in more than a century to go undefeated through the full season. The squad is still remembered as "The Invincibles." Henry led the league in goals (39) and won the European Golden Boot, as the leading goal-scorer in UEFA. He finished second to Barcelona's Ronaldinho in the voting for 2004 FIFA World Player of the Year.
The 2006 FIFA World Cup saw Henry again leading the frontline for the French team that reached the final, where they lost to Italy on penalties after Zidane's infamous headbutt on Marco Materazzi. Henry again scored three goals in the tournament.
In 2007, Henry left Arsenal to join Spanish powerhouse FC Barcelona, where he helped the Blaugrana win consecutive La Liga titles in 2009 and 2010 as well as the 2009 UEFA Champions League.
After three years at the Camp Nou in Barcelona, Henry was ready for a new challenge, and MLS and the Red Bulls came calling in the summer of 2010. A lifelong fan of New York City, Henry embraced the Big Apple and immediately injected a new energy into the club, who had opened Red Bull Arena earlier that year.
Over four and a half seasons with the Red Bulls, Henry built on his already formidible legend, scoring 51 goals and 42 assists in 122 regular-season appearances. In 2013, he led the Red Bulls to the Supporters' Shield, given annually to the club with the best overall record. It was the Red Bulls' first major trophy.
But Henry could never get the club the ultimate prize in MLS: the MLS Cup. The closest he came was this past season, when the Red Bulls fell at the penultimate stage, losing to the New England Revolution in the Eastern Conference Championship.
Henry announced he would leave the Red Bulls a few days after the loss to the Revs. He will be rememberd as one of the best players in MLS history, a description which is only partially captured by the individual honors he picked up: three appearances on the year-end Best XI and four AT&T MLS All-Star nods.
Beyond the statistics and the accolades, he will be remembered by soccer fans around the world for his grace, his creativity, and his competitiveness.
"I have had some amazing memories (mostly good!) and a wonderful experience," he wrote. "I hope you have enjoyed watching as much as I have enjoyed taking part."
