Birth certificates don’t serve much of a purpose these days. Everybody has one and after they’re put away in the bedroom drawer they’re not really needed until you start dealing with government bureaucrats years later. But when Thierry Henry’s the subject of conversation everybody’s suddenly interested in his birth date, which was Aug. 17, 1977 by the way. It seems most football supporters in general and Arsenal fans in particular are wondering if we’re going to see the Henry of old or just an old Henry.
What football lacks these days are players that are willing to take defenders on. Because of the often-stifling formations and midfield stacking we aren’t seeing players attempt game-breaking moves as we did in the past with players such as Pele, George Best, Steve McManaman, Paul Gascoigne, Ian Wright, Dennis Bergkamp and Gary Lineker. Today’s game is much more passing oriented and with some teams employing lone strikers we’re losing that exciting attacking aspect of the game.
But Henry’s been around long enough and has played in the days when there was a premium placed on attacking football. He can turn on a dime in the penalty box and leave players lunging at thin air as he leaves them in his wake. He’s that good and always has been. Bringing his age into the equation may make for a decent debate, but he should be judged on his performances not how many candles he’s going to be blowing out on his next birthday.
Professional sports have changed dramatically over the years. Everything’s world-class these days with high-tech, state-of-the-art training and therapy methods being used. Sure, as athletes get older some things such as speed and reflexes may start to fade and it takes longer to recover from injuries, but they never forget how to play the game. What Henry brings to Arsenal and the Premier League is a wealth of experience and knowledge.
His thought process should be able to make up for any physical deficiencies or shortcomings he may now have.
But older athletes have often been unfairly dismissed as has-beens. It’s definitely not always the case though. We saw Stanley Matthews playing football into his 50s while Gordie Howe, one of ice hockey’s all-time greats, was still playing in the NHL at the age of 52. George Foreman and Bernard Hopkins were world boxing champions well into their 40s and players such as Ryan Giggs and Brad Friedel are still among the best in their positions in the EPL.