Every game is a mountain: Thierry Henry

KOLKATA: In a career spanning almost two decades, during which he plied his trade at Arsenal and Barcelona, France striker Thierry Henry had mostly let his boots do all the talking. Henry - who is on his maiden trip to India - opined that a striker needs to be versatile. Henry reflected on many issues, during a Puma-sponsored programme at a city mall here on Tuesday.

Excerpts:

On what went into the making of Thierry Henry

Work - hard work to be precise - is the basis of everything. When I joined the youth team of Monaco, I was lucky to be in the right place from the beginning. Right from the start of my career, I have treated every game as a mountain. You just keep climbing it. And the challenge of each mountain is different.

On the evolution of a striker's role

What is important is finishing the job. Earlier, the winger used to feed the striker and the latter finished the job. But nowadays, the strikers create opportunities for the wingers to score. Take for example Brazil's Ronaldo. He, together with Romário and George Weah, reinvented the centre-forward position. They gave it a new perspective by dropping out of the box to pick up the ball in midfield, switch to the flanks, confuse the central defenders with their runs and so on.

On how he transformed himself as a striker

Basically, there is no transition. You just need to score. I started as a striker (when young), then at Monaco I was put on the wing. At the World Cup (1998), I was playing as a winger. When I arrived at Arsenal, I started playing as a striker. You need to be versatile and know how to play in a lot of positions.

On the duopoly of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in contemporary football

These two guys are just ‘abnormal’. What we are seeing (of Messi and Ronaldo) is a rare phenomenon. Not often do we see two players scoring 50-60 - even 90 goals - in a season, year after year.

On

Paul Pogba

's start to his EPL career

When I came to the Premier League, I wasn't playing well, too. He needs time.

On who the next Thierry Henry will be

There will be only one Henry.