Thierry Henry: A Gunner for Life

Thierry Henry and Robert Pires

Thierry Henry was one of three club legends to be honoured as part of their 125th anniversary celebrations, with former manager Herbert Chapman and also captain Tony Adams, who led Arsene Wenger's men to the Double twice, each receiving a similar tribute. A statue was unveiled at the Emirates depicting Henry in his famous knee-slide goal celebration.

Thierry Henry statue outside The Emirates

The first time I saw Henry play was in 1997-98 season for AS Monaco in the UEFA Champions League. He formed a deadly partnership with David Trezeguet at the time. Most South Africans will remember Thierry Henry in our 1st game ever at the World Cup in 1998 against France. He gave Willem Jackson a torrid time that night as France ran out 3-0 winners.

I am not an Arsenal fan but I am a Thierry Henry fan. I enjoyed the way he played the game at Arsenal. His pace, passing, movement and most importantly his finishing was world class during his time there. He had great players around him though. The likes of Pires, Viera, Bergkamp etc were carefully chosen by Arsene Wenger to form one of the greatest Arsenal sides ever seen.


Henry was converted into a striker at Arsenal but became so prolific it was as if he had always played upfront. If you give him a penalty he will score, give him a free-kick he will score, one-on-one with the keeper he will score again. A goal scoring machine. Words that were used to describe some of his goals were “spectacular”,”vavavoom”,“genius”,”unbelievable”.

Thierry Henry with Arsene Wenger

Thierry Henry lit-up Highbury and The Emirates with his style of football and cool calm finishes in front of goals. I am proud to say I lived in the times of Thierry Henry, Arsenal Legend and a Gunner for LIFE!

The Bucs' Ship keeps on sailing.

Daine Klate scores 2nd goal

When Moses Mabhida was announced as the venue for the TKO Final this year I jumped for joy. We like to ask the people who live in Cape Town whether they can see the mountain; well I can see the stadium everyday.


People in KZN love their football and you can see by the attendance. The mood in and around the stadium last Saturday was celebratory despite the light rain.This was always going to be a good game because of the two teams involved. The young Wits side had beaten Pirates 3-1 a couple of weeks earlier.



Wits did not start the match well. The occasion might have been too big for the young players as Pirates took the lead the very 1st time they attacked in the match. This was surprising as Wits had seasoned defender OJ Mabizela to marshal the defense. It could have been 2-0 soon after had Mabena not missed an open net. It took Wits a long time to settle down and play their normal passing & possession football.

Jali and Segolela celebrate

The Wits coaches clashed with Benni at half-time near the tunnel. This just added some drama to the occasion. Wits came back a different team in the 2nd half. They were more confident on the ball and direct in their play. The passes were sharper now this resulted in an equalizer by Myeni. This goal revealed everyone that was not supporting Pirates inside the stadium. Suddenly the rain became heavier. This coincided with Pirates taking back the lead with a scorcher by Klate. 2-1. Wits boys looked a beaten side. This goal hit them hard. Chansa’s goal to make it 3-1 signaled the start of the celebrations and the exit of the anti-Pirates fans from the stadium. The team with a big match temperament had triumphed once again. .

Lucky Lekgwathi and Benni McCarthy



Bucs lift trophy