New Arsenal skipper Thierry Henry is dreaming of breaking the team’s goal-scoring record at Highbury in the club’s final season at their historic ground.
Henry’s penalty against Newcastle moved him within three goals of Ian Wright’s all-time club-scoring record of 185 goals.
He insisted the record was the last thing on his mind as he stepped up to the spot with 10 minutes left, but he cannot avoid all thoughts of the landmark that now lies so close.
”People will now say, ‘Only three to go’, so I’ll think about it. But don’t get me wrong — when I stepped up to take the penalty, I was only thinking about getting 1-0 up,” he said.
”I was just concentrating on the penalty. Sometimes if you miss one, it can be even more difficult with 10 minutes to go. Fortunately, Shay Given went the right way but the ball went in.
”I made a little sign for my daughter. It was the first time that she had been in the stadium, so it was a special day for me — the first time that she came to see her dad play.”
Henry added: ”A lot of people have been asking me about the chance that I have of breaking the goal-scoring record at the club, but to be honest, I’d rather that others spoke about it and I just got on with my football.
”What I will say is that it will be more than amazing if I could achieve the record, especially when you consider what a special season this is for the club, being the last at Highbury.
”My dream is to break the record at Highbury — to do it here would be the cherry on top of the cake. I don’t think it would be quite the same to do it away from Highbury.”
Henry could theoretically break the record with a hat-trick at Stamford Bridge next weekend, while Arsenal’s next two games are Fulham at home and then Middlesbrough away.
Apart from Champions League ties, further home Premiership matches come in September against Everton and in October against Birmingham and Manchester City.
Henry’s immediate concern is to ensure that Arsenal do not suffer another defeat against Chelsea next weekend, having lost their recent Community Shield clash against Jose Mourinho’s side.
”We don’t have a bad record against them at Stamford Bridge. You have to respect what they did last season, but we will go there to play our game and see what we can do,” he said.
Henry was at least satisfied that Arsenal marked their first competitive game under his captaincy with a 2-0 victory, albeit a hard-fought win against a Newcastle side reduced to 10 men for just more than an hour.
”Sometimes it’s really good to win when you’re not playing really well. We know we can play better than that, but you must also give credit to Newcastle,” he said.
”It didn’t change my game being captain. When you play for a team like Arsenal, Chelsea or Manchester United, there is always expectation on you. But it’s a team thing, I’m just trying to be the same player as before.” — Sapa-AFP