Thierry Henry

Full Name: Thierry Daniel Henry
Date of Birth: 17/08/1977

Introduction

Thierry Henry has been a French professional footballer since the age of 17 and is perhaps most famous for the eight years he spent with Arsenal until June 2007.

To date, Henry has made almost 100 appearances for France, scoring over 40 goals. In total he has played in over 500 club matches and scored more than 260 goals. In the course of his career with Arsenal, he made 369 appearances, scored 226 goals and served up 82 assists.

Early Life

Thierry Daniel Henry was born in Paris on 17th August, 1977. Although he grew up in a deprived area, facilities for football were good and he showed an early promise. Despite the fact that he had no special interest in football as a child, Henry played for a number of local teams in the Ulis commune where he lived, encouraged by his father.

Professional Career

In 1990, at the age of 13, a talent scout saw Henry score six goals in a 6-0 victory over another local team. He was immediately asked to join A.S. Monaco (without the formality of a trial), first completing a period at the Clairefontaine academy, France’s national football centre and one of the country's nine elite academies.

Henry played his first professional game in December 1994 against Nice, when he was 17. At this stage he played on the left wing; later, manager Arsene Wenger realised he would be more effective as a striker.

Henry’s impact on the team was instant and impressive, with fans predicting the advent of a new star. He duly received the French Young Footballer of the Year award in 1996. Aided by his skills, Monaco also won the Ligue 1 title, the top division of French football. In June of 1997, Henry’s talent was recognised with his début for the under-21 French national side. By the end of the year, he had advanced to the senior team. He played his first international match against South Africa on October 11, 1997, which resulted in a 2-1 win to France.

In the 1997-98 season, Henry played a large part in helping his club reach the UEFA Champions League semi-final, scoring seven goals in the course of the competition. But it was the 1998 World Cup which saw his breakout performance, aiding the French to victory with a total three goals. In recognition of his contribution he was given the Légion d’Honneur on Bastille Day, 1998.

Thanks to his World Cup tour-de-force, Henry moved to the Italian Juventus in January 1998 for around £10.5 million. It was to be a disappointing year for him. Again playing as a winger, he had trouble finding his stride and scored only three goals in the course of 16 games.

In August, Henry was reunited with his former manager, Arsene Wenger, after another £10.5 million transfer to Arsenal. Although the move also meant a change back to striker, it took him a while to adjust to playing in his new position. Fans raised doubts about the transfer fee after he failed to score in first eight games. However, having settled in, he silenced his critics by scoring a total of 26 goals over the course of the season. Since then, Henry has been Arsenal’s top scorer for nearly every season.

Euro 2000 saw Henry back in action as part of France’s championship squad. Once again, he scored three goals, including the equaliser against Portugal in the semi-finals, allowing Zidane to win with a converted penalty in extra time. In the final, France eventually triumphed over Italy in extra time, finishing 2-1 up. Sadly, this performance was not matched two years later. In the 2002 World Cup the French side was missing Zidane due to injuries. They lost their first group match 1-0 to Senagal. In the second, against Uruguay, Henry was sent off. The match ended in a 0-0 draw but, thanks to the red card, he was unable to play in the third match, which Denmark won 2-0. This proved to be little more than a blip in an otherwise charmed career. France won the 2003 Confederations Cup, largely due to Henry’s talent, as Zidane could still not play. France also reached the quarter-finals in Euro 2004.

Meanwhile, Henry’s efforts were turning around Arsenal’s fortunes. The 2001-02 season saw them take the league title and win 2-0 against Chelsea in the FA Cup Final. A second Cup Final victory followed the next year. 2003-04 was arguably more successful, as Arsenal completed the entire season without losing a single game, something that had not happened for over a century. The following year also saw an FA Cup win, but Chelsea picked up the Premiership.

2005-06 saw repeated rumours that Henry would be leaving Arsenal for either Barcelona or Real Madrid. He eventually signed a four-year contract to stay. The season also saw him become Arsenal’s top goal-scorer of all time.

However, Henry’s 2006-07 season was first interrupted and eventually largely missed altogether due to various injuries, something unusual for him. Despite declaring that he would “always be a Gunner”, he left Arsenal for Barcelona in June 2007 - something he claimed was partially due to Wenger’s own uncertain future there but may be more easily explained by the club’s relatively poor performance that year. Barcelona was rumoured to be paying £130,000 per week for the privilege, after enduring a trophy-less season of their own.

Henry scored his first goal for Barcelona against Olympique Lyonnais on 19 September, 2007, in a Champions League match which they won 3-0. Ten days later he scored his first hat-trick, against Levante.

Personal Life

Henry has one child with English model Nicole Merry, whom he met whilst filming an advert for the Renault Clio. They were married in 2003 and daughter Tea Henry was born on May 27, 2005.

In June 2007 Henry and his wife separated, shortly before his transfer to Barcelona. Indeed, dissatisfaction with the move away from England is said to have contributed to the breakdown in their relationship. The divorce was finalised in the autumn, with speculation that Merry was asking for an eight-figure sum from Henry’s estimated £25 million fortune.

Henry is the founder of Stand Up Speak Up, a programme to address racism in football.

Individual Honours

• European Golden Boot: 2004, 2005
• FA Premier League top scorer: 2001–02, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06. Henry also accumulated the highest goal tally in all four leagues in 2004 and 2006
• Confederations Cup top scorer: 2003
• Confederations Cup Golden Ball: 2003
• Onze d'Or: 2003, 2006
• PFA Players' Player of the Year: 2002–03, 2003–04
• PFA Team of the Year: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
• FWA Footballer Of The Year: 2002–03, 2003–04, 2005–06
• FIFA World Player of the Year Runner-up: 2003, 2004
• UEFA Team of the Year: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006
• European Footballer of the Year: 2nd place, 2003; 3rd place, 2006
• French Player of the Year: 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
• In March 2004 the Argentinean football legend, Pelé, named Henry in his list of the best 125 living footballers.

Player Statistics

Senior Club and National Team Statistics

Period	Team	Appearances (Goals)
1994–1998	AS Monaco	105 (20)
1999	Juventus	16 (3)
1999–2007	Arsenal	254 (174)
2007–	Barcelona	32 (12)
1997–	France	105 (46)

Alan Hansen

Full name: Alan David Hansen
Date of birth: 13/06/1955

Alan Hansen is a Scottish former football player and BBC television football commentator. He is credited as being one of the most successful British footballers ever known and perhaps the greatest ever centre-half in the history of the game.

During a career spanning 14 years Alan Hansen collected over 17 football honours including seven Championships, two FA Cups, four League Cups, one Scottish First Division Cup and three European Cups. He is a member of the English Football Hall of Fame and was voted number 12 in the all time most favourite Liverpool players.

Early Life

Alan was born in Alloa, Clackmannanshire, Scotland on June the 13th 1955. He was raised in a sporting family and under the guidance of his Danish father he played a number of competitive team sports including football and volleyball. As a young man Alan decided against attending Aberdeen University, instead opting to follow his brother John into professional football.

John Hansen played for Scottish First Division team Partick Thistle. In 1973 little brother Alan was admitted into the first team where he immediately began to make an impression. Hansen made a name for himself as a dependable defender, meanwhile his every move was being watched by bigger name football entities for a possible transfer.

In the 1975/76 season Hansen's solid defending and accurate passing helped Partick Thistle win the Scottish First Division League Championship. This gave them admission to the Scottish premier League. During that season Alan wove his magic on the football field on some 35 occasions and his performance was duly noted.

Alan Hansen at Liverpool FC

Establishing a Reputation

The following year in 1977 Alan Hansen was transferred to Liverpool FC who met the bargain asking price of £110,000. His first game was against Derby County on the 24th September 1977 which Liverpool won 1-0.

Hansen scored his first goal for Liverpool almost a month later on the 19th October. It was a glorious day for Liverpool as they battered Germany's Dynamo Dresden in a 5-1 win with Hansen scoring the first goal of the match. During that first season with Liverpool FC Hansen spent much of his time on the sidelines but managed to be on the field for the 1-0 European Cup win over Bruges FC played at Wembley.

As he established his reputation at Liverpool, Hansen was seen on the field more and more often for major games. Finally in 1978 he formed part of the award winning defence that conceded a mere 16 goals in 42 League games, a new record.

Club Success, International Woes

Hansen carved out his niche at Liverpool as a hard-nosed yet fluid football player who could be depended on to win the ball back from attackers and pass it on accurately. He had fantastic awareness of positioning and was a frequent play maker, especially form the back.

With characteristic speed and agility Hansen was even known to break ranks and join the forwards up-field should the chance become available. With Hansen playing regularly, Liverpool continued to dominate the English Premier League during the early 80s.

Hansen was out of action for the first part of the 1979/80 football season due to injury. When he returned he was on stunning form, scoring four goals in total including the only point against Brighton and Hove Albion during March.

Once more he was instrumental in maintaining Liverpool's record breaking defensive posture, conceding only 30 goals and going on to win the League a record 12th time. Alan Hansen and Phil Thompson made a near unbeatable duo in central defence. It was due to their partnership, just beginning at this point, that Liverpool FC owed much of its defensive glory. 1979 was good year for Alan Hansen.

He earned his first two caps playing international football for Scotland against Wales in May and Argentina in June. It was not such a good year for Scotland however as they lost both games.

In 1981 Hansen was instrumental in winning Liverpool's first League Cup. He was the player who scored the winning goal against West Ham in a 2-1 win for Liverpool. Later that year Liverpool took home the European Cup after beating Real Madrid 1-0.

1982 proved a low point for Hansen as an embarrassing collision with team mate Willie Miller gave Ramoz Shengelia the opening he needed to fire home a game clinching goal for the USSR. This defeat effectively scuppered Scotland's chances at the World Cup in Spain that year as they didn't manage to proceed beyond the qualifiers.

Indeed, Alan Hansen's international performance is the single area of his footballing career where he failed to impress. This was partly due to bad luck and partly due to some controversial decisions to leave him out of the national squad.

A strong partnership between Willie Miller and Alex Dalgleish conspired to keep Hansen from being selected, as manager Alex Ferguson wanted to keep the pair together at international level. As a result Hansen was capped only 26 times, a number which by no means reflects his performance on the football field during an illustrious career.

The Tragedy at Hillsborough

In his autobiography, Alan Hansen: A Matter of Opinion, Alan alludes to 1989 as the most difficult time during his footballing career. On Saturday the 15th of April 1989 Hansen was back on the team following a nine month absence due to a knee injury.

Fears for his performance soon disappeared as Hansen blasted onto the field with three good passes in the early minutes of the game, including a play maker to Peter Beardsley who failed to capitalise, his shot on goal striking crossbar. Seconds later Hillsborough descended into a scene from hell as fans from the back of the stadium surged wildly forward crushing those in the front against the barriers.

A total of 95 people died that day and a 96th from his injuries a year later. Along with his team mates, Hansen was deeply affected by the disaster. To this day he continues to offer support to the families of victims through memorial services.

Retirement

The following season Hansen continued to be troubled by his knee injury but managed to captain Liverpool to yet another league title. This was to be Alan's eighth and final League title, which at the time was a record breaking figure. Alan continued to fight his injury but finally had to concede, retiring from a glorious career as Liverpool captain in 1991.

Hansen the Football Commentator

Soon after retirement from professional football, Hansen began commentating on the game for Sky Television. His witty commentary and incisive analysis, all delivered in a smooth central Scotland accent soon got him noticed by the BBC, who snapped him up for Radio 5 Live.

It wasn't long before he was a regular on BBC Television's live coverage of major matches. The indomitable Alan Hansen managed to carve out yet another niche as the de-facto commentator who was seldom wrong. He retains his unofficial title to this day.

Today Alan Hansen continues to commentate for BBC Sport. He lives with his wife Janet in Southport with whom he has two children, Lucy and Adam.

Player Statistics

Senior Club and National Team Statistics

Period	Team	Appearances (Goals)
1973-1977	Partick Thistle	86 (6)
1977-1991	Liverpool	620 (14)
1979-1987	Scotland	26 (0)

Mia Hamm

Full name: Mariel Margaret Hamm
Date of birth: 17/03/1972

The early years

Before David Beckham signed for LA Galaxy and was hailed as the saviour of soccer in the USA, Mia Hamm had done more for the sport in North America than any other player, male or female. Her extraordinary career has included a World Cup win, an induction in to the National Soccer Hall of Fame and more personal achievements include the creation of the successful Mia Hamm Foundation, which raises funds for bone marrow research.

Hamm was born in Selma, Alabama, on March 17th, 1972, and had a keen interest in several sports from an early age. She went to Notre Dame Catholic School in Wichita Falls, Texas, and became a permanent fixture in the school’s football team at the age of 12. At this point, she was still interested in several different sports, including basketball. However, two years later, Hamm decided to specialise in soccer. At the age of 15, she moved to North Virginia to attend the Lake Braddock Secondary School and that same year, became the youngest ever player to compete for the United States national soccer team, as a striker.

World Cup victory

Mia chose to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was perhaps the most important factor in the University soccer team’s four NCAA women’s championships in the early 1990s. Hamm’s impressive performances earned a deserved call-up to the 1991 FIFA Women’s World Cup, held in China. The USA had never won the tournament before but there was renewed optimism in the country, primarily due to the emergence of Hamm as a real footballing force. Their first group game was against an impressive Swedish side but the USA managed to overcome this challenge, with Hamm scoring a vital goal. A 5-0 win over Brazil in the following group game saw a second tournament goal from Hamm and a 3-0 win against Japan saw the USA top their group. She was also instrumental in the quarter-final thrashing of Chinese Taipei and the semi-final victory over Germany.

A tough Norway side awaited the USA in the final. A good goal from the prolific Michelle Akers in the 20th minute helped to calm the American nerves but Norway equalised just 9 minutes later. An inspired team performance in the second half eventually led to a 78th minute winner, from Akers. At the age of 19, this World Cup win saw Hamm become the youngest American woman ever to win the tournament.

Further success

Her final three years at North Carolina brought her the accolade of All-American and Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year award. 1993 and 1994 also saw Hamm awarded the ACC Female Athlete of the Year. In 1993 Mia also competed in the Summer Universiade as part of the U.S. Women’s national college team. Despite scoring six goals in the tournament and finishing as top scorer, Hamm was powerless as China beat the USA side in the final. Her graduation from college signalled an all-time record for goals scored in her conference (103), as well as the record for assists (72) and total points (278).

Between 1994 and 1998, Hamm won 5 successive U.S. Soccer Federation Female Athlete of the Year awards. She helped the national team to a gold medal in the 1996 Olympic Games, held in Atlanta. This success was, sadly, followed by tragedy, as Mia’s brother died as a result of a bone marrow disease shortly after the Olympics. This tragedy inspired Hamm to set up the Mia Hamm Foundation. The Foundation’s aim is to raise money for bone marrow research and also aid the progression of female sports programmes.

1999 was an extremely successful year for the Hamm. In May of that year, she scored her 108th goal in a match against Brazil in Florida. This goal broke the all-time international goal record. To mark this achievement, Nike decided to name the largest building on their corporate campus after the player. The FIFA World Cup also brought Hamm success, as the USA became world champions once again. She scored in 2 out of the 3 group games and was an influential part of the quarter-final and semi-final sides. The final, against China PR, was watched by over 90,000 spectators. Surprisingly, the match went to penalties and the USA won by 5 penalties to 4, with Hamm successfully converting her attempt.

Domestic football and the run-up to retirement

Although known mainly for her feats at international level, at the start of the new millennium, Hamm helped to found the Women United Soccer Association and played for the Washington Freedom for a total of 3 seasons. 2003 saw her team become WUSA Founder’s Cup Champions. Overall, Hamm played in 49 WUSA regular-season matches and 4 WUSA play-off matches, scoring an impressive 25 goals in the process.

In 2004, Hamm decided to announce her desire to retire after the Olympic Games. Several months prior to this announcement, she was one of two women to be named in the FIFA 100, a comprehensive list, chosen by Pele, of the top 125 living football players in the world. Her 259th international appearance came during a friendly match against Australia in July. This match also saw Hamm score her 151st international goal.

The 2004 Olympics saw Hamm lead her country to a gold medal and her fellow U.S. Olympians elected her to carry the American flag at the Athens Closing Ceremony. At the age of 32, Hamm retired from soccer, with 158 international goals, more than any other player in the history of the sport, male or female. 2007 brought another honour to the retired player, as she was proudly elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Personal life

Mia married her childhood sweetheart, Christian Corry, in 1994 but the couple decided to divorce in 2001. Hamm married Nomar Garciaparra, in 2003 in California and on March 28th, 2007, she gave birth to twin daughters. She has also been involved in several sponsorship deals and has starred alongside Michael Jordan in televised advertisements for Gatorade.

Individual Honours

• Inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame: 2008
• Inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame: 2007
• Women’s FIFA World Player of the Year: 2001, 2002
• Listed in FIFA’s 125 Best Living Players: 2004
• ACC Female Athlete of the Year: 1994, 1993

Player Statistics

Senior Club and National Team Statistics

Period	Team	Appearances (Goals)
1989-1993	North Carolina Tar Heels	? (103)
2001-2003	Washington Freedom	49 (25)
1987-2004	United States	275 (158)