Henry: "Catalonia is not Spain"

Barcelona player Thierry Henry gave an interview to Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia.





Why are people always that critical? Even about Messi, people are saying he's playing regular lately.
It's normal. If you score three goals every game and you don't play well the next, that's... Leo is leo, it's a genius. If you don't have quality, it's very difficult to understand someone who does. What he does is not normal. Every genius, those who play or those who paint, is difficult to understand.

You expect every opponent to play tough from now on? How would you have to deal with those kind of games with an opponent who focuses on kicking and a referee who doesn't pull cards?
I really didn't see a team like Espanyol kicking a lot. I've played in England for eight years and there they kick. I didn't see anything here yet. Here you cannot touch anyone, if you do, it's card, card, card. In the cup against Atlético, is was over the top. Sometimes when you just jump for a header, the referee already indicates that it's a fault. Men like Alan Shearer wouldn't have been able to play here.

What's the last thing you read and learnt something from?
I didn't read a lot lately, but the last ting that had an impact on me was an autobiography of NBA coach Phil Jackson. In the book he explains how Michael Jordan made fifty points and his team didn't win. It was only when he started to play for the team that Chicago started winning and that Jordan became the best player in the world thanks to his teammates. It's a nice lesson.

You who has the reputation of being a little grumpy, are you going through the best moment since you arrived in Barcelona?
The team is playing better, one enjoys more. The thing is that in the big games in December I played well, I've scored in important games and I've changed a little the general opinion about me. But without the team you cannot do that. It's true that if you get a good ball from behind that puts you in a one on one, everything is easier than when you have three defenders before you.

But you also have more confidence.
Last year was a string of events. I arrived injured, I played because of my own fault, I forced myself and I shouldn't have done that. It was hard to regain the trust of the fans, we weren't playing well, it was difficult for me to understand the new way of playing. Moving to another place, learning a new language, that makes it all hard.

You had a hard time adapting?
What I think is this: Catalonia is not Spain, it's something else and you have to feel that. Barça is another story. When you arrive here from Arsenal it's surprising to see so many people, it's a shock. You have to live it if you want to understand it. In England there's a different mentality. When I left England after eight years, it wasn't easy. But after eight months, when my back didn't hurt anymore, it was time to gain some confidence and win back the people.

You already feel loved?
The truth is, yes. Last season, in the stadium, we went through moments that were very tough, although justified because we didn't win anything, we didn't do anything. I'm my own first criticiser. It was difficult to hold on. This year, people were happier.

When you played at Arsenal, you were already a symbol, and you're still, but people keep questioning you.
I like it when people question me. I demand a lot from myself, so it's normal other people do the same. The real problem will be when they won't question me anymore. The fans expect a lot from Leo, from Samu, from myself, from the whole squad. It has been that way all my life. My father has always told me: "You have to give more." If I have scored three goals, people ask why I didn't score four. Yes, I'm going home being satisfied, yes, but there's always a question mark.

You're on your way to turn 32. You would like to finish your career here?
Of course I would like that. I always say that and sometimes it's like people aren't paying attention. I love the city, it's February and look at that sun. How hard it might have been last year, in the streets, people always were supportive. You can live good here, the food is great. We're in one of the three, four best clubs in the world. It's normal I want to finish here. Wearing this shirt is an honour. But before you understand the shirt, you have to understand the club, the city. Last year I only understood things very late in the season: I was in the northern hemisphere and the club in the southern.

How would you like to be remembered in ten years?
I don't know. A career isn't only about one or two years, it's a journey of 15 years. For me that's the most important thing. Sometimes you have a difficult year but in the end people look at your whole career to make a judgment.

The first time we met was in 2001 when you went to see a basketball game in New York, invited by Philadelpia player Allen Iverson.
Oh yes! The Bulls were my first team though, I like Iverson more as a person than as a player. I'm friends with Tony Parker, Ronny Turiaf and Steve Nash.

You have plans to invest in a French basketball team together with Parker?
No, that's not true. Maybe something else but I can't talk about that.

The tattoo on your left wrist. What is it about?
(shows it for a few seconds) It has nothing to do with a friend, or with my daughter, or any of the other stuff that has been said. It's just a private thing. I put this tattoo for myself. (brings the tattoo to his nose as he leaves)

Yeah, yeah, yeah.


This was the second and last part of this interview. You can read the first part here:
Henry: "This team never surrenders"

Read more:
Henry becomes fifth European goalscorer
The man who changed Henry's luck
Henry will be put for sale in the summer

Henry: "This team never surrenders"

Barcelona player Thierry Henry gave an interview to Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia.





The next league game against Atlético is a great opportunity to show that you didn't lose it.
It's never easy to play against them. Besides, Madrid plays first and if they win that will mean a little more pressure. Last year it was the other way around. We're still in a good position. You have to win the league game by game. It's a key game, but the next game will also be one.

Again playing a good game on Sunday would be the ideal answer, a psychological punch at Madrid?
If we win in the Calderón without playing well, I already sign for that. It's of course better to play well, because you enjoy more, but winning is the most important thing. If we win, I don't matter about how we did it.

The team is a victim of the great performances at the start, of always wanting to win in such a good and fast way?
We've always said that there was a lot of league left. Against Betis, we receive two goals because of a lack of attention, but in the second half we could have won. Later, against Espanyol... I don't like to talk about the referee but when I came home and saw that red card of Keita... You have to shut your mouth, the referee is the boss, but that changed the game a little. Not because you automatically lose when you play with ten men, I'm not looking for excuses, but it just changes the game. And the third one, a game in the Champions League is always difficult. We drew one all, that's not usual for Barça, but it's ok....

You joked that you only use your head to think, not to score...
That was before (laughter). We'll see if this goal will be important after the return game. If it really will be decisive. Sometimes things don't turn out well during a game, but you have to persist and persist.

Things weren't turning out very well for you in Lyon.
Not for me, but neither for almost every team-mate. Apart from the chance of Samu when he hit the post... There are games were everything works, and we've had a lot of games like that, but somethings they don't. The difference of this Barça is that it doesn't surrender when things are going well. We never surrender. You always have to leave the pitch with something.

You almost broke your neck when scoring against the French...
I avoided the post as good as I could. I thought I wouldn't manage. What I didn't know is that with that goal I surpassed Eusebio in the ranking of European goalscorers. It's true that in those times there were more goals scored but on the other hand they also played less games. If the goal is also important, that's the best thing.

People are saying that the team is getting more tired...
People said it, but it's not that. Sometimes, football is played with two teams. Lyon won seven league titles in a row. So be careful with them. I know that they don't have won a lot in Europe, but Makoun, Toulalan, Boumsong, Lloris, Mensah, Benzema... That's a team full of internationals. Madrid played there several times and they lost. Besides, they have Juninho. The game starts, first fault and goal. That helped them a lot at the start. I repeat that, when the game isn't going well, you have to do something. The difference with last year is in my opinion that we would have lost the games against Lyon, Betis, Racing, Osasuna. You can lose, but you can never give a game away, the opponent has to come and get it.

How is Guardiola when a game isn't going well. He's energetic?
He talks about returning to the start, the basics of the game, playing as a team. But he doesn't get angry just to get angry. It's a winner and he only thinks about the victory. I never had coaches who went mad. The coach gets angry but in a good way. He has a good reason for it, we listen to him and he talks very straight. His message gets through.

The defeat of Madrid in the Champions League can affect them?
I think these are different competitions. If you play against Liverpool, you have the feeling that nothing will happen... And then suddenly it's all over. They've won. I don't know if it's a team who makes the opponent weaker, but it sure is a cup team.


This was the first part of this interview. You will be able to read the second part here in the coming days with Henry talking -among other things- about the rest of his career and his tattoo.

Read more:
Henry becomes fifth European goalscorer
The man who changed Henry's luck
Henry will be put for sale in the summer

Henry: "Messi sometimes looks like Maradona"

Barcelona player Thiery henry spoke at a press conference.





Last Sunday, Messi came on, he scored two goals and Barcelona won a game you were losing. That isn't called "dependency"?
It's incredible what Leo is doing, but we all know already what he's capable of. For me, it's the best player at this moment, and we should be happy that he's playing at Barcelona. To depend on Messi is normal because he's the best.

It's more and more difficult to avoid comparisons with Diego Maradona...
I don't want to put more pressure on Messi, but the only player I have seen doing things like that is Maradona. So you have to say it: sometimes Messi looks a lot like him. And Maradona was the best player I've ever seen in action, especially during the World Cup in 1986.

Did you want to score Barcelona's league goal number 5000?
Yes, because it's something very special, but I think that Messi deserved it. It's an important goal in the history of the club and that's why it's good that it has been scored by someone who has been here for a long time, like Puyol, Xavi, Messi or Eto'o.

Barça keeps leading the Liga, 12 points ahead of the second placed. You're already counting when you can win the title?
We're trying to play without thinking about other things. We play against teams that do everything to defeat us but we always fight until the end. We know that we have a lead of 12 points, but in football things can change very quick. There are still a lot of points to win, anything can still happen.

Your performances are better than last season. This has to do with being happier in your personal life?
I'm going through a good time and I'm very happy. It's clear that when the team is playing well, everything is going well. We're very united and you can see that when we celebrate the goals. You can see we have a close group and that the team is enjoying on the pitch. When the players are feeling better, then it's easier to perform well. This year we play like a team and that's the best way to play.

The main realization of Pep Guardiola is to have imposed more discipline?
Last season's coach had won several trophies with another way of handling the dressing-room. We're on the right path, but we still didn't win anything this season.

Since your arrival at Barça, one and a half year ago, you seemed to be fond of Bojan Krkic. What do you think about his situation now that he's playing less than last year?
He's feeling very good, he uses the Copa games to show his worth. We have a very good squad, you don't see the difference whoever is playing. Bojan always gives his best and it's a very important player for Barcelona.


Read more:
Manchester City preparing a move for Henry
Henry not thinking about leaving Barcelona
Ribery or Gourcuff to replace Henry next summer

Henry: "I'm in love"

Barcelona player Thiery Henry gave an interview to Catalan sports paper Sport.





What do you admire in a woman?
That I know a first sight that she will be my soulmate. When I was younger, I used to watch other things (laugh), but not anymore.

It's difficult to find the right woman?
You bet, and much more in my case.

Is it hard sentimentally?
Not only sentimentally. When I tell the truth or I tell what I feel, it may be difficult to understand me because I'm a complicated person. And I've already changed a lot in that perspective! Before, I got angry over small things but now I can hold myself better.

Your world is dangerous. Fake friends, women,...
It's not easy. When I as twenty years old, I took some bad decisions, but in the end it turned out well and it helps you in the rest of your life. Since I was young, I knew that I wouldn't make friends easily. Friendship is a special thing. It's unique. You can have a good relationship with someone and that's it. Friendship is something else, it's telling your friend everything about your life, the truth. So the other knows absolutely everything about you. I have friends with whom I don't talk or don't go out every day but when they have a serious problem, we talk about it. If you're not standing by a friend when he needs you the most, that's the end of it.

Do you need love?
Mmmmm... yes. It's very important.

Are you in love?
Right now I am.

What does your daughter Tea mean to you?
Oh man! Until you don't have your daughter in your arms, you cannot know that. It's undescribable. Do you have children?

No.
Well, then you cannot understand it. Before, I only thought about my career, about dedicating all my time to my own things and suddenly your whole priority list changes drastically.

How are you dealing with your divorce?
It's never easy, and even less when there's a child involved. Looking back at it, last year was hard. I arrived here without speaking the language, I was injured, in full divorce... It wasn't easy at all.

When you joined Barcelona, people said that you were fleeing London.
When I signed, nothing had happened yet. So that rumour was very annoying to me.

What frightens you?
Dying. It's something that we all have to go through but that frightens me.

I have time for one last question?
Of course, no problem.

What does the kiss on your wrist when you celebrate a goal mean?
We were on our way out, right?

This was the fifth and last part of this interview.


Read the earlier parts of the interview:
"I'm a bit of a loner beause of my youth"
"I find peace in Guadeloupe"
"Kurt Cobain was a genius"
"I'm tired, my career will end soon"

Henry: "I'm tired, my career will end soon"

Barcelona player Thiery Henry gave an interview to Catalan sports paper Sport.





The idea people have of you can depend on two seconds...
I know. One day, at Arsenal, a father and his son were waiting for me at the stadium's exit. I was talking by telephone with my father about personal issues and that man didn't stop touching me. The first time I said him that I was sorry but that I was talking about an important issue. He touched me again and said that I should talk with my father later! Incredible! Things like that happen to me the whole time. But you have stay calm and shut your mouth.

What makes you angry?
Injustice. When something is not fair, I get really angry. There are people who don't like how I behave, but if I'm not happy with something, I make sure it's noticeable. I cannot function in another way.

What worries you about the world?
There's no respect. I cannot accept that. For me there's no way back. If you don't respect your mother, that's the end. I have a bad feeling about the new generation that is now growing up. They are told that they can earn easy money and they don't study anymore. In France there are people who have an impressive level of education but are working in the supermarket.

What do you think about French politics?
I hardly follow the world of politics. Although when I saw that president Sarkozy was together with Carla Bruni, I thought it was a good thing because that way they showed they're human. I'm not talking about his political decisions, but people sometimes forget that politicians are also human beings.

You feel a connection with Barack Obama?
I have a hard time understanding why they are pointing out that he will be the first black president of the United States without making a judgment on him going to be a good or a bad president. Because it could be a good thing that America has a coloured president but I hope in the first place that he'll be the best president because of having an accurate government project and not because of the colour of his skin.

What is your motto in life?
All the decisions I have ever made in my life, I've taken myself. You must be the man you really are inside. Today it's not always easy but you have to do it.

You're not affected by it, but what do you think about the global crisis?
How come that's not affecting me? It affects my family, the people I know, my brother who works in the Paris subway.

You have a good feeling about Barça under Guardiola?
I have a very good feeling if I see how we play as a team. I can see it on the faces. We can receive goals, but we're united. Last year every opponent was dangerous. The objective is winning something. When I finish my career in Europe, I've said that I would like to play in the United States and maybe I shouldn't wait too long anymore. But I'm happy at Barça!

Are you tired?
I'm not tired but... During my career, I've played two or three times without being one hundred per cent fit but there comes a point where your body cannot resist anymore. My career will end soon and if you're a forward, things go even faster. As I've already said, I have never run as much as with Barcelona. Physically, I'm fine and if you see how I'm running, that proves it. But the hotels, the travelling, all that is getting difficult. To play and to travel is very tiring and I'm already doing this for fifteen years.

What would you say to those who say that you're finished?
They are not far from the truth. My career will end one day or another. Look, I started playing at the highest level fifteen years ago. Always at the top, not one good year and then one bad year. In the end, you're paying for that.


This was the fourth part of this interview. You will be able to read the last part in the coming days with Henry talking -among other things- about his relationships and his divorce.

Read the earlier parts of the interview here:
"I'm a bit of a loner beause of my youth"
"I find peace in Guadeloupe"
"Kurt Cobain was a genius"

Henry: "Kurt Cobain was a genius"

Barcelona player Thiery Henry gave an interview to Catalan sports paper Sport.





What did you meet when you joined Barça?
Arriving here was a 'shock' because of the timetables, the travels. In England, the press or the fans never travelled with us. And we didn't have fans close during training sessions. If we wanted, we didn't see anyone. I adore quietness but here you can't be relaxed. It was a radical change. In England we had a private zone at the airports and on my first trip with Barça I was overwhelmed.

And regarding football?
It's different. The passion in the Premier League is unrivalled. The intensity, the fans...

Is there selfishness in football?
It's logic. A great football player has a bigger ego than normal, and that's why he's great. I played with Dennis Bergkamp, an incredible guy. They called him 'Ice Man' because he never smiled but in the dressingroom he was the bomb. He had an impeccable attitude. Great players have something extra, an element that others don't have. Football is complicated because you must have a selfishness that helps the team. If you can pass the ball but instead you score yourself and you help the team by that, that's good.

You have to communicate with each other?
It's vital. You have to learn from others. In your family, with friends, with your partner, at work. I have a lot of muslim friends and I like to talk with them about their religion. I like to understand their traditions. To know a man, you need to know his past, his origins, his roots.

Are you religious?
I was born and raised as a catholic but I don't practise it.

Is it clear to you who your friends are?
It is complicated because you're appraoached by too many people. When I started playing football, I had many friends. When I made my debut at Monaco, we won the league. I was a regular and the best player in France but it was hard trying to maintain the same level in the second year. I didn't play well, I had difficulties keeping my level and I had a really hard time. People said that I was not going to go to the World Cup and I had a breakdown. There are still people who believe that everything was given to me the easy way but I know very well who my friends are.

You prefer to be the best or the first?
I've said it many times but people think it's just some cheap way of making myself interesting. I could be the best player of the season or the top goalscorer but the most important thing is the team. Never in my life have I put my personal benefit first.

Who did you admire when you were young?
Van Basten and Michael Jordan. That seriousness in his face!

You like music?
Music is very important for me. I can tell you where I was the first time I heard a song. I like to go back to places where I spent my youth. With the music of Kassav' I can travel to Martinique, to Guadeloupe, recall things I did at home. With hip hop, on the other hand, I return to my neighbourhood. Music allows me to dream, to travel. I sit down in my couch, I put some music on and I'm off. I have a broad taste. I listen to Kassav', Nirvana, Kurt Cobain was a genius, Aerosmith, Luther Vandross, The Commodores, Al Green, Ray Charles, Public Enemy, 50 Cent, Eminem, Jay Z. Groups and singers who transmit something.


This was the third part of this interview. You will be able to read the other parts in the coming days with Henry talking -among other things- about his relationships and his vision on life.

Read the earlier parts of the interview here:
"I'm a bit of a loner beause of my youth"
"I find peace in Guadeloupe"

Henry: "I find peace in Guadeloupe"

Barcelona player Thiery Henry gave an interview to Catalan sports paper Sport.





Your family originally comes from Martinique and Guadeloupe. You're in touch with those roots?
A person looks for himself and when I was trying to build my personality I didn't forget that's were my parents came from, despite being born and raised in Les Ulis. I knew the music, the culture, the food, they spoke Creole to me. One always looks for his roots and when I travel there, that's where I find peace.

You feel at home there?
When I go there, I feel naked. Nobody watches me. When France won the World Cup, I went on holiday to Guadeloupe, more specifically to La Désirade, a small island. There were celebrations but the look of the people is different. Everything is more normal. The day I arrived, there was a dinner at the house, they played bongo, everybody came to my house to sing... But the next day, everything was over! I'm just walking around in shorts, I drive around on my Vespa, wearing no shoes.

You're describing paradise.
It is. To me, those are incredible moments, life to the fullest. Sometimes people think I'm dull, but that's not the case. What happens is that I don't understand euphoria. I've been playing football for fourteen years but I still have a hard time understading that. I'm always very calm. I would like to be the Thierry Henry from La Desirade, the son of Antoine and Maryse. I like to go unnoticed and that's why I also like to go to the United States.

Do you like the anonymity?
I find it hard to understand that people think that football players are different. We are not. Yes, I'm a football player but I have good days, bad days, problems like everyone, feeling happy, feeling sad...

You have been described as a loner.
I like to be alone, sometimes. It reminds me of my youth. It's a way of living. I also like to be with my friends but my life has always been like that. At Arsenal, at Monaco, I always liked to stay at home alone.

Do you feel fortunate?
I make a life of my passion, which is football, but it's not easy to get there. I feel privileged because there are people who have a job for which they wake up at five o'clock in the morning and on their way they're thinking about how they don't like what they're doing.

You feel like you didn't yet show the real Thierry Henry here?
It was the same in England. Or I didn't talk, or I talked very little. For me, the important thing is to be sincere and to talk when you feel the need to do it. In the world of football there are people who do things without feeling them, in an artificial way and that's not my style because I'm honest and you get what you see. In England, they asked me why I didn't celebrate my goals. I will explain you something.

Tell me, tell me...
I was around ten years old. I had played a match during which I had scored six goals. I sat in the car with my father and he looked very serious. I asked him what was going on and he asked me if I was happy. I replied that I was but he blamed me for missing a centre in the tenth minute and a goal in the fourteenth miunute and a control... Every game, it was like that! Since then, when I score a goal, I thought more about the chance I have failed before than about celebrating. My father didn't talk about the good things and I grew up thinking about how to improve my mistakes.

Does it worry you that people might have a wrong image of you?
Look. When the season began, a month after having played at Numancia, I still was questioning my performance in that match. I have blood in my veins. What happens is that when I'm angry, you can notice it a lot.

Which is normal...
It's my sport, my life but you cannot only judge a person by his work. When I'm playing, I cannot smile. I had a though upbringing and I always keep my parents in mind. When an actor plays a sympathetic role, that doesn't mean he's a nice guy for 24 hours.


This was the second part of this interview. You will be able to read the other parts in the coming days with Henry talking -among other things- about his relationships and his music taste.

Read the first part of the interview here:
"I'm a bit of a loner beause of my youth"

Henry: "I'm a bit of a loner beause of my youth"

Barcelona player Thiery Henry gave an interview to Catalan sports paper Sport.





We'll talk about everything. It's not that I'm bored with football, I love the game. But it's good to talk some more about other things. Only talking about football is fatiguing.

They accuse you of being disgruntled.
It's now one and a half year that I'm talking about the same things, answering the same questions. When you talk about other things, about the city, about where I come from, what I'm thinking of, that's when you are able to get to know a person. There are a lot of things behind the person you see.

Well, let's start with Les Ulis, the place where you were born.
It's a district a few kilometres from Paris. I learned a lot of things out on the street. If I could choose, I would do it all again. I am who I am thanks to my father. I saw hard things when I was a child but I was lucky to have very correct parents. Sometimes I didn't understand why my friends could go out at night. They came looking for me at my place and I saw them through the window. That frustrated me. While they were enjoying themselves outside, I asked my mother why I couldn't go out. The answer was always 'no' and it hurted a lot.

You're describing a complicated adolescense?
Almost all my friends from that time are in prison now. It wasn't easy to get out of there. But I understand that if you're a father, you need to be severe in a neighbourhood like that. Ours was complicated, although it wasn't a slum area. There are a lot of young guys who don't listen to their parents and that's a problem. Mine were strict but that way I was able to get somewhere.

Tell me something about your family.
My mother is Maryse and my father Antoine. I have two brothers, Willy and Dimitry, my half-brother. My father left home when I was eight years old. I left the area when my father went away although I never stopped seeing him. When I got out of there, it was clear to me that I had to walk a straight line in my life. I felt that I had to do something. I was alone in the house with my mother, Willy was in the army and I noticed that I was unsettled.

This has affected you?
People don't understand why I'm a bit of a loner but that's the reason. My brother was in the army and I was at home alone, being eleven years old. I felt like I was the only child. I couldn't go out and that explains why I like to be alone. I had to do something and, luckily, football was a way to escape.

How did you start playing?
I started at Les Ulis, thanks to my father. I was just trying to make him feel happy. He took me to the stadium and I saw that he was more happy than I when I was playing. All children want to do something for their father, but at that time football wasn't the number one priority in my life.


This was the first part of this interview. You will be able to read the other parts in the coming days with henry talking -among other things- about his relationships and his music taste.

Read more interview with Barcelona players:
Messi: "We want the Liga back"
Bojan: "I'm not planning to give up studying"
Keita: "One hour before we know who will play"