03/10/2004. Arsenal striker Thierry Henry, in an exclusive Interview with Italian daily 'Corriere della Sera', has revealed his thoughts on Arsenal, the Champions League and Serie A.
"Last year after the win at the Olimpico against Roma (3-1, hat-trick by Henry) we seemed unbeatable," he said. "And in fact since then we did not win, a run of 5 consecutive negative results. Arsenal are not among the greatest in the Champions League history. If you play with Milan or Real Madid, everyone expects you to win in Europe, but with Arsenal it's different. The favourites are the usual: Milan with their usual 0-0, 1-0, and naturally Real. Each year there is a surprise: I hope that this year's surprise team is us. I'm sorry for Juve's elimination."
Who will win the Italian league? "With my heart I reply Juventus, as a neutral spectator I say Roma. I still have many friends at Juve, Trezeguet, Thuram, Del Piero, Montero, Iuliano. Extraordinary guys. When I arrived there I was worried and scared. I was wrong. They made me feel at home right away. The best example is Del Piero, not only is he a great player, but also a wonderful person. In Turin on the pitch it didn't go well, but outside of the pitch it went very well. I still have beautiful memories of those 6 months, that's why I still side with Juve."
But Roma... "Ah, Roma is a beauty to watch. A real pleasure. There is something in the atmosphere, the stadium, the shirt, that makes her unique. And then they always have some great Brazilian player. And Totti? It's useless to talk about him because he is great."
In the Fifa World Player Award, where Henry came second, Totti did not even receive a vote.
"Difficult to believe," Henry continued. "Raul comes to mind: I can't understand how it is possible that with all that he won, no one has awarded him the Golden Ball yet. Football is strange.
"However apart from Totti, Cassano impresses me too. If he wants he can become one of the best in the world. I know he has a strong character, but this is something that distinguishes many champions. On the pitch he's super intelligent. He's not tall, not very fast, not strong physically, but when he has the ball... He has out of the norm qualities. Then they also have Dacourt, Emerson, Samuel, my friend Zebina, with whom I used to play when I was a kid. And Mancini: the symbol of what it means to play for Roma. You must improve yourself or you don't find a place. They always play with the ball on the ground; if you don't have the technical qualities, you can't do it."
And what of Inter who defeated Arsenal 3-0 at Highbury only to be thrashed 5-1 in the return leg at San Siro, which was a turning point in the Gunners' season: "Incredible. Difficult to say what is happening, maybe they don't even know, however from outside, in my opinion Inter remains a great team. Probably it's just a matter of time."
Henry also uttered the words that all Gunners fans love to hear
"They bought me in a difficult moment, and without them I wouldn't be here today," he said. "I'm glad to be able to give something back on the pitch. That is why all the transfer speculations about me make me laugh, even though I know they're part of the game. Unluckily I have to pay for the way certain colleagues of mine act, where one day they kiss the badge and the next day they are photographed with the shirt of a new club. Those that know me, know that I'm different."
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