Thierry Henry: The Moments That Made Them

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2:48Alan Shearer:Hello and welcome to The Rest is Football with Micah Richards, Alan Shearer and me, Gary Lineker. We've got something a little bit different for you today. We're starting a brand new series of the show called Premier League Greats, The Moments That Made Them. These episodes will be released every Wednesday from now until the end of the season. And in each one, we'll be focusing on one legend from the Premier League era. Within each episode, we'll be picking five specific matches from their careers that were defining moments to discuss. We'll look at why each one was so significant for them, what it showed about their brilliance and temperament, and no doubt tell a few of our own stories about the times we've spent with them on and off the pitch.

3:36Alan Shearer:The great news is that you're watching the show on Spotify or YouTube. You'll be able to see all of those iconic moments as we're talking through. If you're listening, that's not a problem. You'll still get the episode just like normal and hear us telling tales of these greats and analyzing what made them so special. On to today's episode then. And first up, we've got a true legend who really brought the va-va-voom to the Premier League. Who could it possibly be? The Frenchman won the league twice, scored 175 Premier League goals and was named in six BFA teams of the year. It is, of course, the brilliant Thierry Henry.

4:22Alan Shearer:Even you must have played against Thierry a number of times, Alan.

4:26Gary Lineker:Yeah, what a player. He brought so much of the Premier League didn't he? He did bring that flair, he brought that pace, skill. I think everything you need as a top class forward he sort of brought but he had his own unique style which was amazing. The best to ever do it in the Premier League? We'll watch a few episodes when we make our mind up.

4:52Alan Shearer:How good was he though? One of the absolute greats. and he's a great pundit too. I was going to say because you now obviously work with him and he was probably one of your heroes growing up, wasn't he? Yeah, he was my hero. Because, you know, obviously in those days which you do admit that you used to follow us. It's only took you 30 seconds to get it out. You know, Man City fans are on me, you know that. Absolutely hate me at the moment. No, they don't. What do you mean at the moment? Not as much as when you play. You always have to take it there, I love you. Why you really got to take it there?

5:28But actually my hero was Vieira first. Oh, okay. Because I thought I was a bit of a Vieira type player, midfield.

5:34Gary Lineker:You must say that to all his friends and pundits, that, oh, you're my hero. You said that to me months ago. You've never been my hero. Exactly. Never, ever, ever. I just found out he was a good player every week. But Thierry, I mean, looking up to him, shoulders back, his smile, even his haircut, do you remember his haircut? High top. It wasn't the thing that struck me back then, it was more his talent. No, but first, you look at the appearance, don't you? And then you move on to the football and he used to have his long socks above his knees, his boots, the vapours, and then the way he used to twist past people, he was like…

6:14Yeah, he was…

6:15Alan Shearer:He had a bit of a tough start in the Premier League though, didn't he? He did. In fact, that will come on to the first moment shortly, but I just want to ask firstly about because you now know him personally, because you work with him at CBS, don't you? Yeah. What's he like? I mean, I've worked with him as well on major tournaments in the past. And he's, I mean, he lives for the game as well, doesn't he? I mean, he lives and breathes football. I think he's, in terms of breaking the game down, I think he's the best in the game. He watches probably three or four games per day and he analyses everything.

6:49If you ask him about a team, no respect to us in the French League or the Spanish, he knows everything about every player. His dedication to football is the best I've ever seen. And Matt, you can just tell. He's just, he can be quite intense at times, you know. He would ask me a question. If I don't know the question, he'd be like, you should know this. And it keeps me on my toes. But love for the game, I've never seen it before.

7:14Alan Shearer:Yeah, I noticed that as well. He was always really in-depth. and even when you're not on air, talking football. Yeah. Always seems to be talking football, which is a great thing. As you said, Alan, he didn't have the greatest starts. Let's look at our first moment, which is actually his first goal. He came on as a sub. Henry holding off Almir. Oh, what a goal! Thierry Henry scores his first for Arsenal. He'd gone quite a few games, eight appearances without scoring before he did that.

7:44Gary Lineker:See that moment there, you know, when the ball goes up to him, when he had his back to you. He was brilliant at that. You know the way he sort of controlled the ball with the front of his foot? And if you're a defender, he was so quick at rolling you. And that moment there, we probably didn't know that. We were going to see loads of those in his career in the Premier League, the way he rolled a defender. Because the defender wants to get tight on him. Fine, I used to love that as a...

8:11Alan Shearer:Good ball from Tony Adams, actually.

8:12Gary Lineker:But there, look, he was brilliant at shielding the ball and then sort of moving it because his touch was that quick and the way he swiveled was that quick. He was almost impossible to stop when he was in that position. We see his trim there, though. God, he looks young there, doesn't he, eh?

8:27Alan Shearer:What a fine, young-looking man he was. Reminds me of me. Does he? Or trim. Or not trim. I think he's talking about his footballing ability. But it's not easy when you get off to a bad start, particularly if you've come, Obviously, he was at Juve before, wasn't he? And he was very much a winger at Juve, wasn't he? And Wenger kind of transformed him. I mean, he always did favour the left-hand side often, but he was very much like a played-up-the-centre, didn't he, but drifts off to the left on occasions to cause a lot of problems in that part of the pick. Yeah, he said when he first went to Arsenal, I don't know if abuse is the right word, but he got a little bit of stick from the crowd.

9:09From the crowd and just saying he doesn't score enough goals, he runs with the ball but he doesn't know what he's doing with it but he said every day he practiced and he'd learn in training to become better and like I said before he's got some something in his brain where he needs to be the best even look at him in the shape of him now going on 50 and he's got he's got a six pack yeah I went to the gym with him one time in America I thought I must be able to outdo him in the gym don't tell him oh my god he embarrassed me really never again Never, ever, ever, ever, and I mean ever, train with this guy.

9:51It's not normal, mate. Seriously. You know when you get to that stage where you need to stop, he then pushes on to the next level. He's got something in his mind that just separates him from others. His drive, his commitment, he's just different. In the gym and the weight, you mean? No, but the intensity. Have you heard of hit trading? so he might be doing the what's that called the rower the rower and then the skier really he's just and what are the weights is he doing weights as well and nobody does light weights but you know when he like really tries he just does it he just gets on with it I've never met someone with that amount of commitment to everything he does

10:33Gary Lineker:he was a glider wasn't he when he sort of went past players and he looked he was so he was smooth

10:38Alan Shearer:I wonder how he coat in those early days not scoring because I think eight games without a goal crowd on your back I mean have you had that well you were 12 games were there well for England that's England but I mean when you go to a club you started pretty well I mean you only had two moves didn't you Blackburn and Newcastle yeah

10:57Gary Lineker:and did they both start well or yeah both started well but in Southampton when I made my debut at Southampton I know it wasn't Premier League but I made my debut and you know what happened then but then after that I never scored for another five or six games that season and then the following season I hardly ever scored so yeah I went long periods without scoring in my younger days you kid there you're learning at that point but it's tough mentally when you it's hard when you don't get a good start

11:29Alan Shearer:I went to Everton I was booed before the opening game because I took Andy Gray's place so not all the crowd but there were elements of the crowd when you He'd go through the starting line. I mean, that's Peter Reid. Hey, Trevor Stephen. Hey, Gary Lineker. Hey, boo. A lot of boos. That's before my debut. And I didn't score then until the fourth game. Then it's a way it's best. So I know what that feels like. And I'm sure it was the same for him, but he was obviously pretty young at the time. What did you feel like though at the time when he was getting booed? I've been booed on a time before. I was thinking.

12:04Alan Shearer:I mean, they loved Andy Gray. Did you like that? That was much better. I was alright but it took me till Christmas to turn them around I scored a lot of goals don't they like me

12:15Gary Lineker:the psychology of when you're on a barren run is tough for any forward yeah it is even Thierry I mean I know it took him time but one of the best there has ever been we're talking about in it but even him would have had a bit of self-doubt even when you're going through those periods and it seems like forever even it was what seven or eight games for him I bet you it felt like forever Who do you speak to though in the moment? Is it your agent? Is it your family? I think it's a bit of everything. It's somehow trying to find a belief that it will turn around. And it will eventually because with, particularly when you're talking about great players as he was, it eventually will work and it will happen for you.

12:55Gary Lineker:You've got to trust yourself.

12:57Alan Shearer:On to the second moment. I think we all remember this one. The flick up and the turn, the twist, the volley into the corner. I was actually at Highbury for that game. Were you there? Yeah, and I can't remember why I was at that game. I can't remember. I don't think I was doing anything with TV, but I was there. It was unbelievable. We just went, wow.

13:19Gary Lineker:They're in possession with Henri. Oh, wow! What a goal!

13:24Alan Shearer:Wow. It was unbelievable. I mean, what makes you think to do that? He explained this when I was working with that team. What did he say? Did he practice it? And he said he looked where the goalkeeper was. What? And then he always wanted to do it. So, like, he waited. But he was waiting for the right moment to do it. Because he said that when the ball comes to that touch, first touch has to be right. Well, yeah. And he's tried to do it before and the touch wasn't right. But he said he felt it. Did he train? Did he practice in training or not? No, he said he didn't practice in training. He said he just did it in games.

14:01He was always looking to score that goal. and the right moment just a little dink

14:05Gary Lineker:but you don't honestly when you look at that how many things you have to do that have to happen I mean the touch the flick up the swivel like I mentioned then the turn the technique to hit it to get it on I mean it's a ridiculously tough piece of skill and he's made it look so easy hasn't he do you remember the celebration after it though yeah no do you remember that yeah I do but what's that that's from a scary movie everyone was doing it at the time do you remember I tell you Come on I've not seen scary movies You've shown your age here I've seen a few scary movies I remember it

14:39Alan Shearer:No We had the mascot Never saw the film You are old as shit man

14:43Gary Lineker:I just thought you were on about scary movies I've seen a few of them in my time No honestly Google it Can we get it Can we get someone Let me get it I promise It's okay We must show you guys Scary movie It's like working with two pensioners

14:58Alan Shearer:Well actually I qualify now I'm 65 Oh, you haven't got your books passed? Well, I could get one if I wanted. I've never claimed a book. Okay, let me get this. I probably should get my books passed. Yeah. Who was in it, Micah? The tier is nearly our age, by the way. So don't be disrespectful, your elders. Sorry, guys. What have we got here? I'm just showing you the tier. You can turn it up. No, but it's on advert. We've not paid, have we? No.

15:29Alan Shearer:And here. There we go. What's this? I've never seen that.