Thierry Henry: Moments that defined a genius

THAT volley against Manchester United - October 1 2000

Still one of the Premier League's most iconic strikes. Gilles Grimandi rolled the ball into the feet of Henry, who - with Denis Irwin tight at his back - flicked it up and swivelled in one movement before arcing a wondrous volley beyond a helpless Fabien Barthez.

The goal introduced Henry's ability to create moments of magic from nowhere, as well as helping Arsenal to a 1-0 victory over their bitter title rivals of the era.

Tearing Tottenham apart - November 16 2002

Henry never lost a game against Arsenal's bitter north-London neighbours, winning six of his 10 matches against Tottenham, also managing five goals.

His greatest came in a comprehensive 3-0 Highbury victory, picking the ball up inside his own half before surging through midfield - where Matthew Etherington was powerless to halt the Frenchman's momentum - turning Stephen Carr inside out and whipping a low left-footed shot past Kasey Keller.

Inspiring an Inter demolition - November 25 2003

Though silverware on the European stage eluded Henry through his time at Arsenal, he still managed to rack up a number of career highlights in UEFA Champions League action.

The first came at San Siro as an Inter side containing the likes of Fabio Cannavaro, Javier Zanetti and Marco Materazzi were torn to shreds by Henry's direct pace. The striker netted two sublime efforts as well as creating those scored by Freddie Ljungberg and Edu in a memorable 5-1 thrashing of the Italian giants.

Keeps the unbeaten dream alive - April 9 2004

Arsenal's stunning 2003-04 campaign had hit a rocky patch as Liverpool visited Highbury in April with Arsene Wenger's side having suffered consecutive defeats to eliminate them from the FA Cup and Champions League, while the Merseysiders went 2-1 up at the break to threaten an end to their unbeaten league run.

Henry had other ideas, though. After Robert Pires equalised, Arsenal's talisman received the ball 60 yards from goal, leaving Dietmar Hamann and Jamie Carragher floored as he slalomed towards the target before clipping a trademark right-footed finish past Jerzy Dudek.

Henry raced clear late on to complete his hat-trick and inspire Arsenal to end the season as undefeated champions of England.

History beckons with cheeky backheel - October 2 2004

Arsenal's unbeaten run ran deep into the following campaign, and they made it 48 games without defeat with a 4-0 thrashing of Charlton, which showcased a cheeky Henry goal - inside the penalty area, facing away from goal, the striker firmly backheeling through the legs of his covering defender and past the goalkeeper.

Equals Wright with Prague perfection - October 18 2005

It would barely have been befitting of the man had Henry not moved to the top of Arsenal's goalscoring chart in style.

The moment arrived in a Champions League match at Sparta Prague as Henry plucked a high ball out of the air before turning and dispatching an effort with the outside of his right boot that curled from outside the far post and back around into the net - moving Henry level with Ian Wright's tally of 185.

Henry took top spot for his own later in the same game, with his record unlikely to be broken for many years to come.

Bernabeu brilliance sees off Real Madrid - February 21 2006

Another inspirational performance on the continent came later in the same season's Champions League as Arsenal faced a daunting last-16 meeting with Real Madrid with a threadbare squad affected by injury.

With a 17-year-old Theo Walcott - at the time in many eyes, Henry's successor up front - watching on from the bench, Henry once again displayed his incredible dribbling power, shrugging off four challenges before slotting beyond Iker Casillas to seal a 1-0 success - the first for an English side at the home of the Madrid giants.

Hat-trick on Highbury farewell - May 7 2006

Nobody has scored more goals on one Premier League ground than Henry at Highbury, and - by now Arsenal captain - he supplied the old stadium with a fitting send-off in its final game against Wigan Athletic.

A quick Wigan double cancelled out a Pires opener, but Henry levelled before half-time, going on to secure a match-winning hat-trick with a clinical penalty, which he celebrated by kissing the turf that had served him so well.