Thierry Henry: Then and Now

On Monday night, the 70th Ballon d’Or ceremony takes over the London Palladium — and the man with the microphone will be Thierry Henry, co-hosting alongside Kate Scott. Nine times he was nominated for the award himself, finishing runner-up in 2003. Now he gets to hand the stage to the next winner. 🏆

It is quite the full-circle moment for a kid from Les Ulis who became Arsenal’s greatest goalscorer — and one of the finest strikers football has ever seen.

Then: The Boy from Les Ulis

Thierry Daniel Henry was born on August 17, 1977, in Les Ulis, a suburb south of Paris. Spotted by AS Monaco as a teenager, he made his professional debut in 1994 — all raw pace and promise.

A short, unhappy spell at Juventus followed in 1999. Then came the move that changed everything: Arsenal, that August, for £10.5 million. Under Arsène Wenger, the winger became a striker — and then a phenomenon.

The numbers still take your breath away. Four Premier League Golden Boots. PFA Player of the Year twice. And 226 goals in all competitions — still Arsenal’s all-time record, untouched nearly two decades after he left.

The peak was the 2003–04 season, when Arsenal went the entire league campaign unbeaten. Henry scored 30 of their goals. The Invincibles were his team, and everyone knew it. ⚽

For France, he won the 1998 World Cup on home soil and Euro 2000, then reached the 2006 final in Berlin. His 51 international goals stood as the national record for years — the mark of a man who carried France’s attack the way Kylian Mbappé does today.

The Middle: Barcelona, New York, and the Long Goodbye

In 2007, Henry left for Barcelona for €24 million. The individual fireworks dimmed, but the trophies didn’t: in 2009 he won the treble — La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the Champions League.

In 2010 he crossed the Atlantic to join the New York Red Bulls, becoming the face of MLS’s ambitious era. There was even a fairytale two-month loan back to Arsenal in early 2012 — he scored the winner against Leeds on his return.

He retired in December 2014.

Now: The Coach, the Pundit, the Host

Coaching came next, with mixed fortunes. He assisted Belgium to third place at the 2018 World Cup, then took the top jobs at Monaco and Montreal Impact. In August 2023 he became France’s Under-21 coach — and led the Olympic team to a silver medal at Paris 2024, losing a 5–3 thriller to Spain in the final. He stepped down weeks later, citing personal reasons.

Since then he has become one of the sharpest voices in the game, analyzing the Champions League for CBS Sports alongside Kate Scott, Micah Richards, and Jamie Carragher. 🎙️

The Present: Monday Night at the Palladium

Which brings us to Monday. France Football and UEFA announced on October 19 that Henry and Scott will host the 70th Ballon d’Or at the London Palladium — the ceremony’s first time in London.

Henry will welcome the elite of world football to the city he calls home. Ousmane Dembélé walks in as the defending champion — and a nominee again — while the likes of Jude Bellingham wait to learn their fate.

From Les Ulis to the London Palladium: quite the then-and-now. ✨