What now for the French man?
As expected, following the departure of the New York Red Bulls from the MLS playoffs last night, their main man Thierry Henry’s exit has been confirmed by the club.
“On behalf of the New York Red Bulls I would like to thank Thierry Henry for the incredible impact he has made on both our organization and the American soccer community as a whole,” said New York Red Bulls General Manager Marc de Grandpre.
“He is truly one of the all-time great talents and will forever hold a special place within the organization’s history. We wish Thierry all the best for his future.”
“Thierry Henry, an icon of the world’s game, has been a wonderful player for the New York Red Bulls and a major influence on the development of MLS,” said New York Red Bulls Sporting Director Andy Roxburgh.
“It has been a privilege to have watched Thierry’s illustrious career unfold since he was 17 years old, and it has been a particular joy to watch him, at close quarters, lead the New York Red Bulls over the last two seasons. We sincerely wish him all the best for his future.”
Henry joined the MLS club in 2010 and played 122 games for them, scoring 51 goals.
Here is Henry’s statement:
I am taking this opportunity to announce that unfortunately Saturday was my last game for the New York Red Bulls. The decision has always been that I would leave after the duration of my contract and although that was never going to change, I didn’t want it to distract from the progress of the team.
I have immensely enjoyed my four and half years here and would like to thank everyone involved with this club who has made my time here so enjoyable.
Thanks must go particularly to Erik Soler, Hans Backe, Gerard Houllier, Andy Roxburgh, Mike Petke, all my team mates, the technical staff, medical staff, all the personnel who work for the Redbull organisation, the MLS and of course the owner Mr Mateschitz whose vision and passion brought me to this wonderful city.
A special mention must go to the Redbull fans who have supported this team through the good, the bad and the ugly times in the sun, rain and snow. You guys have really meant a lot to me and thank you for all your wonderful support.
I will now take the next few weeks to reflect and decide on the next chapter of my career.
Thank you all.
The big question now is what next for Henry. At 37, his playing days might be over, so will he dive straight into coaching, or take some time off and work in TV, an area he has already dabbled in?
We wouldn’t fully rule out a return to Arsenal, in either a playing or coaching role, but as the man himself says, he’ll let us know in a few weeks.
