When Thierry Henry joined Arsenal from Juventus for a fee of £8 million in August 1999, few could have predicted a bright future for the fragile winger. He had hated his spell at Juventus, constantly moaning about lack of team spirit at the Italian club, and was little known in England.

Eight years on, Henry leaves a legend. Arsène Wenger, the Arsenal manager, knew the player he had purchased and knew what he could do with him. Wenger spots latent talent, nurtures it and moulds it into his free-flowing style. Henry still moaned a lot but his transformation into a free-scoring striker was the stuff of bedtime stories.

It did not work immediately but Wenger persevered and Henry, most importantly, kept the faith. He believed in his fellow Frenchman. The mesmerising runs became a frequent feature of Arsenal in their pomp and the goals – rarely of the mundane variety – followed. Again and again.

Henry had a moody streak that would occasionally mar his displays. Yet when the mood took him, he was unstoppable. In April 2004, a four-goal tally against Leeds United allowed him to pass the 150 mark for the club. Nine days later, after Arsenal were crowned league champions, he was named the Professional Footballers’ Association player of the year for the second successive season.

In October 2005, the comparisons with Ian Wright, the former Arsenal icon, that had once appeared laughable were proved spot-on. Henry left the substitutes’ bench in a Champions League match away to Sparta Prague and curled in a shot to equal Wright’s record of 185 goals. For good measure, he scored another to set a new mark.

Inevitably, the links with Europe’s other super clubs gathered pace. Yet in May last year – having replaced Patrick Vieira as captain, albeit with limited success – Henry substantiated his public vow of loyalty by signing a new four-year contract. He would, he said, in all probability end his career in North London.

Three months ago, the dream began to turn sour. Niggling injuries, some suffered when he played for France in the World Cup finals in Germany, caught up with him. Henry’s campaign came to a premature halt because of a groin problem and, adding to his frustration, Arsenal flattered but failed to win a trophy.

He was also dismayed when David Dein, the vice-chairman and a close friend, suddenly left the club after a boardroom power struggle. “I was devastated,” Henry said.

The links with potential suitors started again, with Barcelona at the head of the field. And their overtures proved irresistible. Henry scored 226 goals in 369 appearances for Arsenal and helped them to win two league championships and three FA Cups and led them to a first Champions League final in 2006.

Top Gunner
226: Goals for Arsenal in 369 matches in all competitions
0: Goals in his first eight games for Arsenal
65: Goals in his final 58 appearances at Highbury
26: Average number of league goals in five seasons from 2001-02 to 2005-06
1.81: Ratio of home to away goals by Henry at Arsenal, compared with 1.35 by his teammates
3: League Cup appearances in eight seasons at Arsenal
1: Red card, for a foul in a Uefa Cup match away to Werder Bremen in 2000
5: Significant trophies for Arsenal: two Premierships and three FA Cups
3: Months since his last appearance for Arsenal when they were eliminated from the Champions League at the Emirates Stadium by PSV Eindhoven on March 7