He was at a low point in his career when he left Turin. It was as a result of his move to Highbury and his working with Wenger that his career took off. He has a lot to thank Arsenal for but also there were a number of players that contributed to his rise to the top of world football, such as Patrick Vieira, Robert Pires, Freddie Ljungberg and Dennis Bergkamp.
Henry leaves with two Premiership titles, three FA Cups and an undefeated season under his belt. He's going to have to have a very good few years at the Camp Nou if he is to add to that CV.
I feel privileged to have watched him play for Arsenal. At times he infuriated me but over the course of eight seasons he did nothing but good for the club.
He was a sublime athlete, a man amongst boys. At times it seemed cruel when he came up against truly inferior players, but then he would go and make world class players look foolish too.
Henry is one the only Premiership players I've seen get the "Michael Jordan Reaction". In his prime Jordan would do things that made his opponents look around, shaking their heads, saying "how did he do that?" And I've seen Henry leave defenders and goalkeepers bemused and embarrassed.
Simply put, Thierry Henry redefined his position.
"Thank you Thierry."
Thank you for all the memories. Even the cocked-up penalty with Pires in front of a shocked Clock End crowd.
Thank you for the 364 times you put an Arsenal shirt on, because even on the rare days were you were emotionally absent, you still scared the shit out of the opposing defenders and created space for your team mates.
Thank you for the 226 goals. Every single one was appreciated, many were incredible, some were spectacular and a few were superhuman.
Thank you for the 82 assists. You were an unselfish player and we appreciate you commitment.
"I will never forget you Thierry."
I will never forget the sight of you striding majestically through the entire Spurs team and scoring in front of the adoring North Bank.
I will never forget the brilliant goal you scored in the Bernabeu to secure the first victory for an English club in Real Madrid's back yard.
I will never forget the sight of you rising like a salmon to meet a cross and head the ball past van der Sar to secure a nail biting Gunners victory in the first home game against Manchester United at the Grove.
Hindsight is 20:20 and I suppose there were signs all along that Henry would be leaving this summer, but we all refused to acknowledge those signs because 99% of Arsenal fans adore the moody Frenchman.
Last season Henry began to celebrate his goals differently. In previous years he used to gather his team mates around him in an all inclusive hug but last season he invented the silly dance thing with Adebayor and it almost became an exclusive celebration. A party that the others weren't invited to.
He stormed out of the Training Ground after been told that he'd take no part in the North London Derby. That in itself shows passion, commitment and some distorted form of team spirit, but his actions on the day were different. Firstly, he engineers things so he's seen in the tunnel with the players as they line up to take the field. Then when Adebayor scores Henry is on the pitch to celebrate. It all seemed a bit Thierry Henry orientated. A bit "look at me, I'm not so injured!"
Henry didn't perform the role of Arsenal Captain at all well. He doesn't have the personality to be a good captain in the vein of an Adams or Vieira or a Gilberto. I felt that his criticism of team mates on the pitch and his gesticulations and body language were far too negative. Some say he destroyed Reyes's confidence because of all the moaning but Jose just didn't stand up for himself enough.
Then silly Thierry got himself photographed like this, whilst at the NBA Finals watching friend Tony Parker and some would say this was the last straw.
We concede that he was supporting his friend but there's lots of San Antonio Spurs merchandise he could have bought that doesn't say Spurs right across the front. It was a poor choice of clothing and niggled many Gooners world wide.Interviewed on his way out to the NBA Finals he said, "I'm an Arsenal player, for now..."and that for me confirmed his exit.
I guess it was just time for him to move on.
When he signed the new deal this time last year we all breathed a sigh of relief, but none of us know what was written on the contract. He probably had a get out clause written in and that's why he going for a bargain £16m. For the love of God please tell me the fee was linked to a clause in his contract! Owen Hargreaves just went for £15m and Darren Bent is being touted at around £16m. Henry has to be worth more than that!
Maybe we'll never know the real ins and outs, but Wenger's next great team is being built around Fabregas and not Henry. Equally the most important man in Wenger's next great team is Arsene himself.
Henry was not going to play at Arsenal for the rest of eternity. I always knew my two year old daughter would never see him play at the Grove. His time in an Arsenal shirt was destined to end at some point. It was inevitable. It's the circle of life and there were only two ways it could possibly end.
One: he sees out his contract, scores a few goals and loses a pace or two in the last few years of his playing career. He gets even more grumpy and smothers the development of players like van Persie. Before our eyes we see the talisman slowly tarnish and we all go and give him some cash at his testimonial match.
or
Two: he leaves before his contract expires, the club make some money on him, the younger strikers have room to blossom and we remember him at his best.
Personally, I'd go for option two every time. He was never going to get any better from here on in was he? He was already the best striker in the world and we had him for the best eight years of his career. Arsenal and Arsene Wenger made Thierry Henry.
Barcelona, however, don't even know how he'll react to his groin surgery. Yeah they'll do a medical and a thorough one too but they won't know how his groin will hold up to 40 matches in a season and three in a week. There's no way you can simulate or forecast that.
So now we can think of the £16m and look at it differently. That's a good price for a player who is nearly 30, who only played 17 matches last year, who is recovering from groin surgery, who earns £130,000+ per week and who plays a lot of international games too.
If he has begun to lose his pace, as many observers have suggested, he'll gradually become less and less effective. Just as with Ljungberg, pace was his most dangerous weapon but if Henry loses that, what kind of striker would he be? Regardless of individual opinion Thierry Henry is regressing as a player. It's a matter of basic human physiology.
He won't get any quicker as a man in his thirties.
He will eventually become more injury prone.
His rehabilitation times will grow longer.
His recovery from matches will be slower.
And I believe it's these points that make Wenger stick to his "no contract extensions longer than a year if you're in your thirties!" policy.
Henry gave his best to Arsenal every time he stepped on the pitch. We are lucky to have watched the world's best player for so many years and he was an excellent ambassador for the club.
"No true Arsenal fan should ever speak badly of you.
Goodbye Thierry and good luck.
We'll miss you."
