Thierry Henry Speaks Out About THAT Handball Against Ireland

It is rumoured that Father Jack broke the “feck” record on the day that Thierry Henry slapped the ball past Shay Given on a cruel night back in 2009. The Arsenal legend turned into a pantomime villain overnight as he became one of the least popular people in the Republic of Ireland – the nation even demanded a replay. Such unprecedented decisions would have made football even more bureaucratic than it already is.

To this day when his name is mentioned on an online forum, an angry keyboard-warrior Irishman is never too far away to reaffirm that the Thierry Henry’s legendary status should become obsolete because of that isolated incident. That he is nothing but a cheat and that’s how he should be remembered. Roy Keane turned his back on Ireland when they actually qualified in 2002 – and he was forgiven so quick that it’s hard to remember it even happened.

Henry spoke about the incident recently on French television – and he doesn’t know what all the fuss is about:

“I spoke to the press that night. I could have ignored them but I didn’t. I spoke honestly. It was a reflex. A reflex by a competitor, just like when you reach out for the ball on the line when your goalkeeper is beaten.”

“When I see Messi scoring against Espanyol, diving to touch the ball with his hand, people say, ‘What a genius, now he is closer than ever to Maradona.’ But when it was me, it was like I had killed someone.”

Henry was playing for Barcelona at the time, moving to New York Red Bulls soon afterwards. Thierry laughed off suggestions that his move to the States was an act of escapism.

“I’ve always wanted to go there (to the USA). Anyone who knows me would tell you. To escape what? To escape who? I wanted to go as soon as 2009, but I didn’t because I kept playing with the national team. It’s total rubbish.”

Any Irish fans out there who have forgiven Monsieur Henry for that night? Or is it just too much of a bitter pill to swallow?

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