Henry presented at Barcelona
Striker Thierry Henry has been unveiled as a Barcelona player at a
press conference in the Camp Nou.
"I'm really pleased to be here," he told the assembled media. "It's
been a long chase, but I'm happy to be here. I have to live and
breathe now for Barcelona.
"It is a dream for everybody to win the Champions League and for
Barca football club to win it again next season. It is the only
thing I haven't won yet.
"I don't have an individual target. I think it has to be a club
target and I think Barcelona is always a club at the beginning of
the year that wants to win everything.
"The most important thing is to be successful and win silverware.
At the end of the day Barcelona have to be successful - that is the
most important thing in my eyes.
"I'm here to listen right from start. People have been here for a
long time and I hope they will show me the way, help me to be a
great player in the future here."
Henry said that he was overwhelmed by the attention focused upon
him since arriving in Catalonia.
"Barcelona is more than a club. Whenever there is an event with
Barca, the fans come because they love the club so much.
"My role is to be a Barcelona player. I don't have the pretension
of changing anything. I just want to give my best whenever I step
on the pitch."
Asked about the players within the Barca squad that may have
influenced his decision to move away from London, he spoke about
close friend Samuel Eto'o - so long linked with a move away from
the club - and his French countrymen.
"I spoke with him [Eto'o] often. It was not a case of him telling
me to come [however] We talked sometimes [but] I have also spoken
with Lilian Thuram, with [Ludovic] Giuly, about the club.
"I was speaking to Samuel when he was playing with Mallorca. It's a
relationship I've had for a long time. We've been really close for
years. He came to my house when he heard I was injured. I came to
see him when he had his operation
"I know you guys would prefer us not to be friends - but we are
friends."
There was a hairy moment earlier in the day when club doctor Ricard
Pruna revealed that there was a problem with the player's groin,
but he passed the medical nonetheless.
"I had an injury last season that stopped me playing. If you look
at my record of injuries, there is only one.
"Today I had the medical and passed it easily.
"[I] just [need] a bit more rest, and not having played too much, I
should be good for the coming season."
Henry had another word for the fans he left behind at
Arsenal.
"I have to show respect to Arsenal - that's why before I left I
talked on the Arsenal website," he said. "Often players leave
without even speaking.
"I saw the fans on the TV and I did not hear [any negativity]. I
enjoyed my time over there.
"No disrespect to [the clubs in] Italy I always said if I ever left
Arsenal it would be to play for Barcelona."
