France striker Thierry Henry completed his 24-million move from Arsenal to
Barcelona yesterday.
FC Barcelona's new signing Thierry
Henry (R) of France and President Joan Laporta pose during his
presentation at Nou Camp Stadium June 25, 2007. Henry, who turns 30 in
August, was unveiled at the Nou Camp after passing a medical and putting
pen to paper on a four-year deal with the Primera Liga
side.[Reuters]
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Henry, who turns 30 in August, was
unveiled at the Nou Camp after passing a medical and putting pen to paper on a
four-year deal with the Primera Liga side.
"Thierry Henry is a player we've been after for many years and now he's
here," Barcelona president Joan Laporta told a news conference.
"Johan Cruyff wanted to sign Thierry Henry for Barcelona when he was a young
player. When I was elected president in 2003 I wanted to sign him, we also
wanted to sign him last year and today it is a great pleasure to see him here.
"He is one of the best players in the world and given his quality, experience
and commitment he comes to Barcelona at the perfect time."
Henry will be given the No. 14 shirt at his presentation, the squad number he
had at Arsenal and the same as that worn by Barcelona great Cruyff.
Earlier, Barcelona team doctor Ricard Pruna told the club's Website that the
Frenchman had passed all the tests satisfactorily.
"There are no problems, everything is in order. Henry has no injury or
after-effect that prevents him from joining the club."
Henry had been at Arsenal since 1999. He suffered foot, back, stomach and
groin injuries in England last season, and a sciatica nerve proved to be a
long-standing problem that forced Arsenal to rule its captain out of the
campaign from March.
"We paid particular attention to the groin area because we are aware of the
problems he has had there," said Pruna. "We believe it is due to an imbalance in
the muscle groups in the area. He will undergo a special program in Paris to
redress the imbalance in the area so that he can join up with the rest of the
team on July 21."
Henry leaves as Arsenal's most prolific scorer, with 226 goals in 364
appearances. Henry helped the north London team to two Premier League titles,
three FA Cups and the 2006 Champions League final, where it lost to Barcelona.
Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure is also poised to sign for Barcelona after
arriving in the city to finalize the details of a move from Monaco.
Toure, the younger brother of Arsenal defender Kolo Toure, joined Monaco from
Olympiakos last year. He is ranked as one of the most promising defensive
midfielders in Europe.