October 18 – Record Breaker | On This Football Day

October 18 – Record Breaker

IAN Wright and Thierry Henry never played together, the former having left Arsenal a year before the latter arrived in North London.

Between them the two strikers bagged an incredible 411 goals for the Gunners and it was on this day in 2005 that Henry took Wright’s crown as the club’s record goal scorer.

The Frenchman achieved the feat in a Champions League tie away at Sparta Prague in a match he didn’t even start. He was recovering from a lengthy injury and had begun the game on the bench with manager Arsene Wenger planning on giving him a 30 minute run out towards the end.

An injury to Jose Antonio Reyes with just 15 minutes played meant Wenger had to turn to his talisman, who bagged a brace to take his tally to 186 – one more than Ian Wright.

“It sounds great to hear ‘Thierry Henry, record goalscorer for Arsenal’,” the French striker said after scoring his 186th goal for the Gunners.

“Wrighty was a great player and will always be a legend at Arsenal. To beat his record is tremendous.

“I wanted to do it at Highbury but if I get the chance to score I’ll take it. I was happy to put the ball in the net and delighted to get the record.

“Their fans didn’t realise why I was celebrating like that – I was trying to draw the number 186 in the air.”

Arsene Wenger was proud of his protege: “It’s an exceptional record. He’s beaten it in a short time and he’s not even a typical goalscorer. He’s an all-round player, not a guy who lurks in the box.

“It’s really unexplainable that a guy who is not only interested in scoring goals should score so many. He’ll not only have a place in the history of Arsenal but in the history of football.”

Even Wrighty managed to congratulate the man who took his record. He said: He deserves it, he is a fantastic player. He has won everything, apart from the Champions League, which I am praying he can do. It is no mean feat to come second to a player like that. It’s not easy for me to say something like that.

“It couldn’t happen to a nicer fella. He is a footballing person. It is all about the football and the fans.

“It would be different if it was someone you didn’t like and he was a horrible person, giving it all the time, but he’s not like that.”

Henry went on to rack up 226 goals for Arsenal in just 380 appearances for the club before leaving for Barcelona in 2007. He has also been named Arsenal’s best ever player by the club’s fans – Ian Wright came in at number four.

Have a look at some of Henry’s silky skills below, and come back tomorrow for more from us. Also on this day, a Fulham legend passed away.