Thierry Henry's passage to Juventus is an anomaly in a legendary career. Six short months, between January and June 1999, 19 games, 3 goals. A flash without tomorrow before the explosion at Arsenal. Why such a fiasco? The official story retains that it was poorly used by Marcello Lippi, confined to a role of left winger with defensive tasks that broke his talent. Henry himself had later mentioned a “Lack of respect” from management. More than a quarter of a century later, one of the strong men of the club of the time, Luciano Moggi, decided to deliver his truth.
The assassin tackle of an ex-juve leader on Thierry Henry
Far from doing his mea culpa, the former director general of Juve released the sulfateuse. For him, sold Henry was absolutely not an error. “Whoever says it doesn't understand anything about football”, he said during a ceremony. The reason? Simply the player's profile. “He was a counter-attack player. He runs, he pulls. He did not participate in the team's game ”,
he said. “Either he marked or caused problems, but he created confusion. »» An analysis of the flame thrower, which depicts a young Henry as a free electron, unable to integrate into a collective.
Moggi does not regret anything. He even justifies himself by claiming to have recruited David Trezeguet instead, a player who, according to him, “Helped the team to play.” The message is brutal: Henry did not have the tactical level for the Juve of the time. His metamorphosis in the Premier League? A simple ” evolution Who does not change the initial observation. It is a de -zing in good standing, a way of saying that the Italian club had seen right.
When Juventus rewrites its story with Thierry Henry
A settlement of accounts, 26 years after
These statements are not trivial. They look like a late response, a settlement of accounts barely disguised with a player who had pointed out his attitude. We feel that the ax of war is still not buried. Moggi does not want to carry the hat of what is considered one of the greatest casting errors in the history of football. He prefers to rewrite history by passing Henry for a one -dimensional and tactically limited player.
This media outing will not change the legend of Thierry Henry. But it offers fascinating lighting behind the scenes of a failed transfer. She shows how, even 26 years later, resentments can remain lively. And she proves that in football, there are always two versions with each story. That of the player, and that, much less flattering, of those who let him leave.
