‘When you’ve won, you can talk’: Thierry Henry reveals how Xavi put him in his place for laughing at Barcelona’s famous ‘more than a club’ motto after moving to Nou Camp
- Thierry Henry played three seasons for Barcelona after leaving Arsenal in 2007
- The Frenchman has revealed that he was humiliated by Xavi after arriving at the club
- It came after he mocked Barcelona’s famous ‘more than a club’ motto
Thierry Henry has revealed he was put in his place by Xavi after he signed for Barcelona in 2007.
The Frenchman moved to Nou Camp for £21 million in 2007 after scoring 226 goals and winning the Premier League twice with Arsenal.
However, his impressive reputation doesn’t seem to have saved him from an early humiliation at his new club.
“When I arrived at Barça, I laughed at the ‘More than a club’ registered in the gallery,” Henry told Amazon Prime.
“Xavi put me back on track, he told me you didn’t win anything here… If you won, you can talk.”
Thierry Henry has revealed he was put in his place by Xavi after signing for Barcelona in 2007
The Frenchman was told ‘if you won, you can talk’ after making fun of the club’s motto
The midfielder, who made 767 appearances for Barca, was two years younger than the incoming striker but already a senior player at the club.
By the age of 27, he had won three La Liga titles and the Champions League. Xavi spent a further eight seasons with the club, winning 27 major trophies in his career, including the World Cup.
He returned to Nou Camp as manager in 2021 and has now brought the Catalan club to the brink of another league title.
Henry related the anecdote to explain how rules should be enforced in a dressing room, as he explained: ‘Generally it’s the elders who give you the rules when you arrive at the club.
“When I arrived at Arsenal it was impossible to do what I wanted to do. You were fined if you ever went a little too far in your role.’
The striker shared the anecdote following his former team-mate Lionel Messi’s recent fine and suspension for traveling to Saudi Arabia without permission, which Henry admitted he shouldn’t have.
The discussion started when Henry thought Paris Saint-Germain had been fined and suspended Lionel Messi after an unauthorized promotional visit to Saudi Arabia.
The matter has highlighted a marked deterioration in relations between the World Cup winner and PSG, with reports that he will leave the club in the summer.
Henry admitted it was wrong for Messi to miss training, adding that the trip may have damaged the club’s “pride”.
The French giants performed well during the absence of the Argentina captain on Sunday, as they beat Troyes 3-1 to come within three wins of the Ligue 1 title.