Xavi took Thierry Henry down with cutting remark after Arsenal to Barca transfer

09 May 2023 , 08:48

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Thierry Henry signed for Barcelona in 2007

Thierry Henry arrived at Barcelona in 2007 one of the hottest properties in world football - but that wasn't enough to impress Xavi.

Having cemented legendary status for himself during an eight year stint with Arsenal, Henry signed for the Catalan giants for a fee of around £21million. By that point the midfield maestro had been with the club at decade, and was quick to let the Frenchman know about the values.

And the 45-year-old recalled the incident while lambasting the current club culture at PSG, with the Parisians in disarray following another failed Champions League campaign. Marquee signing Lionel Messi is also leaving this summer after falling foul of club owners for travelling to Saudi Arabia without permission.

"What are the rules at PSG?" he told Amazon Prime Sport France . "In general, it is 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 overstepped a bit in your role.

"When I arrived at Barca, I laughed at the 'More than a club'. Xavi put me back on track, he told me 'you haven’t won anything here… When you’ve won, you can talk'."

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Fortunately for Henry, he swiftly became eligible to 'talk' at the Nou Camp, winning two La Liga titles, a Copa del Rey, the Champions League, Uefa Super Cup and World Club Club before moving to New York Red Bulls in 2010. Xavi meanwhile, is now manager of the iconic Spanish club.

Xavi is currently in charge at Barcelona

And he's well on track to deliver them a first La Liga title since 2018/19, with his side 13 points clear of arch rivals Real Madrid with five live league games to go. Indeed, victory at Espanyol on Sunday will ultimately be enough to start the celebrations.

And Xavi has also now had his say on the man in charge when he and Henry helped Barca to the 2008/09 Champions League title, beating Manchester United in the final in Rome. Pep Guardiola's Manchester City face Barca's arch rivals Real Madrid on Tuesday in the first leg of their European semi final, and the iconic midfielder as backed his ex-boss to win the treble.

"Of course, it would [be fair]," he said, when asked about the potential achievement. "In my opinion, they are the best team in the world right now. They have the best manager in the world and the quality of football they play is a mirror for us to look up to."

Fraser Watson