Henry to Barcelona

[SportsTicker]

MADRID, Spain (AP) -- Arsenal striker Thierry Henry has signed with FC Barcelona, Spanish news report said.Barcelona will pay $32 million for Henry, who signed a 4-year deal, Cadena Ser radio and the newspaper El Pais said.A Barcelona official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said an announcement about Henry would be made by Saturday.Henry has been with Arsenal since 1999, scoring a club record 226 goals in 364 appearances for the Gunners. He helped the London club win two Premier League titles and three FA Cups.Henry's agent, Jerome Anderson, recently denied reports he was negotiating the player's move to Barcelona.Henry, who turns 30 in August, still had three years left on his contract. But speculation of his departure increased after Arsenal failed to win a trophy last season and finished only fourth in the Premier League for the second year in a row.Henry acknowledged he was upset that David Dein, who was responsible for bringing manager Arsene Wenger to the club in 1996, quit as vice chairman of Arsenal.Wenger, who has led Arsenal to three Premier League and four FA Cup triumphs, has said he has no plans to follow Dein away from the club. But he, too, has been linked with a possible move to Barcelona or Real Madrid.Henry spent much of last season sidelined because of stomach and groin injuries. But he remains one of the game's biggest stars with his ability to score top-quality goals and beat defenses with his fast runs and dribbling.Henry also helped the Gunners reach the Champions League final in 2006, only for Arsenal to lose to Barcelona. He was frustrated that Arsenal did not strengthen its playing squad with big names and expressed his disappointment when the Gunners sold Patrick Vieira to Juventus two years ago.Link: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/socc...a.ap/index.htmlPS: To the soccer world (or football) this is like Kobe Bryant going to the Spurs

 

[ASUFan22]

Wait...doesn't that put him and Ronaldinho on the same team? 0_0

 

[SportsTicker]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ASUFan22 @ Jun 22 2007, 10:17 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Wait...doesn't that put him and Ronaldinho on the same team? 0_0</div>Yes, that basically means the best midfielder and best striker in the world will be on the same team. And if Barcelona manages to keep Samuel Eto'o on their team, that means their attack will consist of Samuel Eto'o, Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry, and Lionel Messi...

 

[Thabo]

$32 million transfer fee, eh? How much $ is left on his contract?Barca's going to be stacked now. Can't wait to watch them next year.

 

[Amare320]

I grew up a Football fan, a Arsenal fan and a Thierry Henry though I hate soccer now, so it's kind of sad to see him leave Arsenal for Barcelona, but whatever! good luck to him now.

 

[Milgod]

An end to a great era. One of the best Premiership players of all time. A good deal for both teams as well. Arsenal can't afford to have him miss 1/2 a season again and Barca could well lose Eto'o. Even if they keep him the pace of the Spanish league will suit an older Henry better than England.

 

[SportsTicker]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Thierry Henry has claimed he would only have left the Emirates Stadium for Barcelona - because they play 'the Arsenal way'.The France striker is on the verge of clinching a reported ?16million move to the Nou Camp after finally deciding his time in north London must come to an end.Henry is due in Catalonia tomorrow after the two clubs agreed the terms of the deal, with the Gunners claiming earlier today that just a medical and the 'completion of formalities' stand between the move taking place.In an open letter to The Sun, published this morning, the 29-year-old claimed uncertainty over manager Arsene Wenger's future was a major factor in his decision to leave the Gunners, and also cited the departure of former vice-chairman David Dein, a close personal friend of Henry's, as another reason to quit for Spain.Henry has tonight expanded on the logic behind his prospective move, and insisted Barca's footballing philosophy means it is his only possible destination after Arsenal.'I left Arsenal to go to Barcelona because, no disrespect to any other team, but there are only two teams in the world who play football the way I like it,' he told the official Arsenal website.'That is the way the people here like it - the Arsenal way.'That is how we play football here and `we' play football there.'If I can say that is one of the is the main reasons for (choosing) Barcelona. The football they play is attractive to watch.'Henry's apparently certain departure has come as a massive blow to the club and its supporters, who are still raking over the ashes of another disappointing season.</div>