‘It took me a year to be well’: Thierry Henry opens up about his mental health issues after leaving Arsenal for Barcelona in 2007 when he went through a £10m divorce… and says discussing the issues was ‘taboo’ ‘
- Thierry Henry has opened up about his mental health issues after leaving Arsenal
- The French star was recovering from an injury and in the process of divorce
- Four-time Golden Boot winner insists it was ‘taboo’ to speak in 2007
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Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has opened up about the struggles he faced when joining the Spanish giants Barcelona back in 2007.
The former French international, who joined the Gunners in 1999, ended his eight-year spell in the north London to join Barca for £16m, much to the disappointment of the Arsenal faithful.
Henry scored a club record 228 goals for Arsenal and won two Premier league titles, including in the 2003-04 ‘Invincibles’ season, and two FA Cups along the way.
Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has spoken about the difficulties he faced when he joined Barcelona in 2007.
Henry joined the Catalan giants while still recovering from a lengthy injury and was also going through a divorce.
He also won four Premier League Golden Boots and was one of the first players to be inducted into the competition’s hall of fame.
But his move didn’t quite go as planned as he arrived at the Camp Nou while still recovering from a prolonged injury and also in the process of divorcing his first wife, Claire Merry.
The couple had a daughter, Tea, in May 2005, before Henry paid nearly £10m as a divorce settlement, just four years after they were married.
Henry (right) won two Premier League titles, including the ‘Invincibles’ 2003-04 season.
Henry spoke with a French medium L’Equipesaying: ‘When I left Arsenal for Barcelona it took me a year to be well.
‘I came in injured, I’m going through a divorce, I have to learn a new system, you mix it all up, you keep messing with your mind.’
Henry struggled to make a similar impact in Barcelona as he did in north London while sharing the spotlight with superstars like Lionel Messi, Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto’o.
Henry (centre) had to share the spotlight at the Camp Nou with Lionel Messi (left) and Ronaldinho (right)
However, the change greatly bolstered his list of honours, as he won two LaLiga titles, a Copa del Rey and the 2009 Champions League.
But the forward revealed it was ‘taboo’ at the time as he struggled to speak freely about suffering with mental health.
‘In my time it was much more difficult, totally taboo. Even in the group,’ she added.
‘You got to the locker room: ‘Are you okay? Yes, even if things weren’t going well.
‘Did you sleep well? Yes, even if it wasn’t. Are you in pain? No, even if you were in pain.
Henry is now Belgium’s assistant coach and a TV pundit after brief spells in management.
The 44-year-old then moved to the United States in 2010, where he spent four seasons playing for the New York Red Bulls.
He briefly returned to the Emirates on loan in 2012, where he scored 12 minutes into his second debut, before retiring as a player in 2014.
So it was a change to coaching and management for Henry with spells in the hot seat at both Monaco and the Montreal Impact.
Henry is now Belgium’s assistant coach, working with Roberto Martinez, while also working as an expert.
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