By Mark Finlay
As former Gunner frontman Thierry Henry hangs up his boots to become a football pundit for Sky Sports he says he has not yet given up on his dream to one day manage Arsenal.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Henry said “That would be a dream come true, but that’s not how it works.
“You have to prove yourself first, you have to learn first. You need to be able to understand what it is to be a manager.
“Can you teach, can you be patient? All these problems. People think they are all managers in their own way, but it’s not that easy.
“The plan is to start my badges and I guess Arsenal will help me. To pass your badges, you have to work closely with a club and I would like to think it is going to be Arsenal. You know I’m in London when you see me at Arsenal.
“First and foremost I don’t know how or when, but everybody knows I would love to go back to Arsenal in some capacity. But I need to be equipped to go back. I want to learn the process, so I have to get my badges and what not. We will see what is going to happen.
“It’s not a secret, everybody talks about me going back to Arsenal and me the same thing, but it doesn’t always work like that. First and foremost, I have to make sure that I have everything on board to be able to go back.
“Hard work is all I know. It comes from my dad and the guys I played with when I arrived in the national team. Zidane, Djorkaeff, Thuram, Desailly, Petit, Barthez, that’s how they were and that’s what they taught me. So I took it on board because you can only be the reflection of your education. That’s the way I was educated, so that’s what I’m going to try to pass on.”
Club legend Henry has never hidden his love for Arsenal telling French sports newspaper L’Equipe: “When I left the club, part of me died.”
“I cried, and I’ve never cried often, even when I was a kid,” said Henry when talking about leaving to join Barcelona.
Yet the 37-year-old returns to London firstly to focus on television work. After having signed a multi-million pound deal to join Sky’s football pundits where he will give his insight into the games.
“It is now time for a different career path and I am pleased to say that I will be returning to London and joining Sky Sports,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.
“I will hopefully share some of the insights, observations and experiences I have learnt over the years with you guys.”
