|
France's Henry turning into a star
Posted: Tuesday June 23, 1998 06:06 PM
PARIS (CNN/SI) -- There's little doubt who is the player of the
tournament as far as French fans are concerned. The man with the golden
touch, Thierry Henry. The 20-year-old from one of the leading teams in the
French League, Monaco, has set the host nation alight ever since the
opening game. Tall, rangy, with a boyish enthusiasm for the game, Henry has
been all business in front of the net, scoring three of the seven French
goals so far. His marksmanship comes as no surprise to followers of this
year's European Champions League however. Henry scored a club-best seven
goals during Monaco's impressive run to the semi-finals, and he had
numerous bigger clubs knocking at his door. But the unassuming striker
decided that at this stage in his young career the comforts of home suited
him best. Monaco breathed a sigh of relief. Such level headedness is
typical of Henry. When I met him earlier this week, his reaction to
suggestions that he's becoming the star of the tournament, was a bashful
smile, and an admission that he doesn't feel like a star, merely a part of
the team, for which he is grateful. In the absence of the established
star, Zinedine Zidane, who received a two-match ban for a red card against
Saudi
Arabia, Henry has truly stepped up to the plate, partnering with his
Monaco teammate -- David Trezeguet in an attack that revives memories of
their younger days, when they played alongside each other in the French
junior and youth teams that took world and European honors. Now they're on
the right track to do it in the big league, in fact the biggest league of
all. Thierry Henry, a player who has truly seized the day.
|
