Arsenal legend, Thierry Henry, announced his retirement from football yesterday, and Jose Mourinho has revealed how close he was to signing him during his FC Barcelona days.
Mourinho was an assistant at the Nou Camp, before moving to FC Porto and then on to Chelsea, and the Portuguese admitted that he tried to lure the striker to Barca, but missed out ‘by an inch’.
Henry eventually left AS Monaco for Italian side, Juventus, and Mourinho admitted that it was then when he wanted to sign the Frenchman.
He told talkSPORT: “I tried to sign him once in my career, when I was an assistant in Barcelona. He was in Monaco and he went to Juventus, we lost him by an inch.”
“After that he was not on my radar because it was never a possibility to come to my teams. Could you imagine in that moment leaving Arsenal to come to Chelsea? I wouldn’t imagine that.
Mourinho then went on to talk about the legend and the impact he had on the game, and the Chelsea boss was full of praise for the veteran.
“Is he one of the all-time greats? Obviously. He’s the kind of player that you need forever, especially in the Premier League where he was more than any other place.
“He was okay in Barcelona and the (France) national team, but the real Thierry Henry, the player that we are all going to miss forever, is the one that made unbelievable seasons and incredible history in the Premier League.”
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexsArticles – @AlexBatt
