Former Barcelona star Thierry Henry has provided a fascinating insight into the moment he discovered the extent of Blaugrana head coach Xavi Hernández’s love for the club.
Henry and Xavi, of course, are former teammates, having shared the Camp Nou dressing room for three years from 2007 to 2010.
The pair enjoyed great success together on the pitch, en route to winning a pair of La Liga titles, the Champions League, Copa del Rey, and much more.
And yet, shortly after his arrival, Henry was put very much in his place by Xavi, as the latter made crystal clear the attitude required to play for ‘his club’.
Speaking as part of his punditry role on CBS Sports this week, the former Arsenal hitman opened up on his relationship with Barcelona’s headmaster.
As much comes after Henry launched a stern defence of Xavi, adamant that the Spaniard boasts a tactical mind matched only by Pep Guardiola, on the back of the Blaugrana’s Champions League meeting with Napoli on Wednesday.
Turning attentions towards their shared time together in Catalunya, Henry then admitted that an exchange between the pair saw the Frenchman quickly discover why Xavi was a ‘different’ beast, owing chiefly to his undying affinity for Barcelona:
“At Barça’s stadium, you step out of the stairs and the first thing you see is ‘Mes que un club’,” he began. “So in the morning I was walking, moody, and I was like ‘Mes que un club’, what is that? Xavi heard me. Xavi tapped me on the shoulder and said: “I heard what you were saying. You need to win here to understand it. Don’t talk about my club like that”. I looked at him and I said this is why this guy is different. This is why he wants to win.”
Conor Laird | GSFN
