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Thierry Henry’s Brilliant Answer When Asked About Missing Out on 2003 Ballon d’Or

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Summary

  • After a strong season, many football fans believe Thierry Henry was robbed of the Ballon d’Or in 2003, which was awarded to Pavel Nedved.
  • Henry’s incredible form for Arsenal, scoring 32 goals and creating 28 assists, made him a strong contender for the award.
  • The Frenchman’s response to the loss showed his class and humility, acknowledging that opinions differ and that journalists vote based on their preferences.

Back in 2003, Pavel Nedved won the prestigious Ballon d’Or after a pretty fantastic season for Juventus in which his side won the Serie A, finished runners-up in the Champions League, and he scored 14 goals and chalked up 17 assists. It was a strong season, but a large population of football fans believed he didn’t deserve the award, and that it should have gone to Thierry Henry instead.

It’s hard to argue, with the Frenchman being in scintillating form in 2003 for Arsenal and stamping his claim as one of the best footballers in the world at the time. The former forward was breathtaking as he scored 32 goals and created 28 assists for the Gunners and many believe he was robbed of the award.

Thierry Henry vs Pavel Nedved 2003 Statistics

Player

Team

Goals

Assists

Thierry Henry

Arsenal

32

28

Pavel Nedved

Juventus

14

17

What hurts most is the fact that Henry never went on to win a single Ballon d’Or in his career, making him one of the greatest players of all time to never do so. We’ve heard him speak very little about the matter and share his thoughts on whether he was robbed or not. He’s remained silent on the situation for the most part. Until Micah Richards decided to bring it up during Champions League coverage on CBS Sports in 2023.

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Henry on Ballon d’Or Snub

Thierry Henry answered the Paul Scholes vs Steven Gerrard debate

Thierry Henry answered the Paul Scholes vs Steven Gerrard debate

Richards, Henry and Jamie Carragher have been working with CBS Sports to provide coverage for the Champions League for multiple years, and it’s been a resounding success. The trio work wonderfully with presenter Kate Scott and they regularly have fans in stitches with some of the things they come up with on the show.

It would have been easy for Henry to be bitter about losing the Ballon d’Or to Nedved all those years ago. After all, he never had the chance to win it again, but instead, the retired forward’s response to Richards’ question about the loss was filled with class and showed why he’s a true gentleman.

Richards asked Henry about his own experience of losing out when so many thought he deserved to win, and he wanted to know whether the former Arsenal man also believed he had been robbed of the win. The Frenchman’s response was quite brilliant:

“You can’t debate opinions. When journalists are involved in votes, they vote whatever they want.

“However you want to look at it, they vote whatever they want and when you look at the votes in the history of it, not only my year, every year, you look at the first three, and you’re like, really? It is what it is. You can’t debate opinions.”

Thierry Henry’s Incredible Career

Thierry Henry celebrates scoring for Arsenal.

With or without the Ballon d’Or victory, Henry has undeniably gone down as one of the greatest forwards in the history of football. There have been few players that ever dominated the sport in the manner in which he did, so it’s safe to say the loss didn’t hurt his career at all.

Wayne Rooney, Thierry Henry and Steven Gerrard celebrating in a collage.


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Over 30-plus years of Premier League football, a plethora of awe-inspiring players have entertained fans with stunning skills and memorable moments.

The Arsenal legend is perhaps the best player to have ever turned out in the Premier League. He’s also the seventh-highest-scoring player in the division’s history, finding the net 175 times for the Gunners. The one trophy that evaded him in north London was the Champions League, but he’d achieved that dream during his Barcelona days.

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Why Arsenal Will Not Lift Premier League Trophy During Bus Parade

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Details have emerged about the upcoming Arsenal bus parade to celebrate their Premier League title. Interestingly enough, it has been confirmed that the club will not lift the trophy during their nine-kilometre celebration route.

The Gunners were able to put to bed 22 years of hurt as they finally lifted the Premier League on Sunday. Their success was confirmed after Manchester City drew against Bournemouth earlier that week, making a trip to Crystal Palace a formality.

Mikel Arteta’s men were still able to pick up a 2-1 win, to finish the season with 85 points, seven points and one place ahead of Pep Guardiola’s side, but the main focus was on the trophy lift at the end of the game. Martin Odegaard led the celebrations, becoming the first Arsenal captain to hold the trophy aloft since Patrick Vieira in 2004.

However, he will not do the same on the title bus parade.

Arsenal Will Not Lift Premier League Trophy at Emirates

Premier League title shown with Arsenal ribbons of red and white

The event is scheduled to happen in north London on 31 May. A club statement has already explained: “We are delighted to announce that we will come together with our supporters and community for a special parade around our home borough of Islington, starting from 2pm on Sunday 31 May, to celebrate our title.”

The Gunners, of course, could have two trophies to celebrate with if all goes to plan. Indeed, the night before, Arsenal will take on Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest as they aim to win the Champions League final for the first time in their history.

Regardless of the result, however, there will be no official trophy lifting moment on the parade route. As explained by the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust, this is due to the huge numbers expected during the celebrations. They said:

“The parade is over 9km long. No trophy lift at the end or at town hall due to expected numbers. Therefore, there is no advantage in crowding into one area and you are advised to spread along the whole route.”

Police Expect at Least 500,000 People to Attend Arsenal Bus Parade

Both Arsenal and local police are expecting at least 500,000 people to show up for the event. For context, there were an estimated 100,000 gathered at the stadium last Tuesday after Man City drew with Bournemouth, confirming the win. Aston Villa had approximately just 50,000 at their parade after winning the Europa League, while the official estimate for the City parade – celebrating Pep Guardiola and the two domestic cups they won this season – was 6,000, plus a further 14,000 in the Co-op Arena later.

It would not be a surprise if figures were actually well over that 500,000 mark either. The Arsenal Supporters’ Trust also revealed that there will be road closures near the Emirates Stadium from 4am Sunday morning, due to the number of attendees at the title parade. Fans are advised not to park anywhere nearby if they want to access their car later on the same day.

They then added that there will be no event at the stadium on the day of the parade. What’s more, the club’s official shop, the Armoury, will also be closed.

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Man Utd Eye £100m Aston Villa Forward Morgan Rogers

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Manchester United director of football Jason Wilcox and manager Michael Carrick both want to sign a Premier League forward in the summer transfer window.

The Red Devils have been heavily focusing their recruitment on signing a new midfielder in the summer, but there’s no doubt they’ll be looking to strengthen in other positions.

Qualifying for the Champions League was a huge achievement for the club, but it comes with the need to spend significantly in the market.

Not only do United need better players in order to deal with the stronger opposition, they also need a deeper squad.

Signing a versatile forward could be a useful option for them, and it appears multiple members of the team are keen on signing one player.


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According to a fresh report from talkSPORT, Manchester United are interested in signing Aston Villa forward Morgan Rogers ahead of the summer transfer window.

Director of Football Wilcox is known to be an admirer of the England international, but he’s not the only one.

A previous report claimed that if Carrick was appointed as the permanent manager of United, their number one target could change to Rogers in the summer window.

With multiple figures at United who are involved in the recruitment strategy in favour of signing Rogers, it will be interesting to see if they make a move.

Rogers Could be Expensive Addition for United

Morgan Rogers

Although Rogers would be a huge signing for United if they can get a deal over the line, it’s certainly not going to be cheap.

The report from TalkSport claims that a bidding war could drive Rogers’ price up to around £100m, which is a huge fee even in the modern era.

Rogers, described as a ‘superstar’, is attracting interest from a host of clubs this summer, so it’s never going to be an easy deal for United to complete.

It will be interesting to see whether the England international does leave Villa in the coming weeks and months, as the £100m asking price could put people off.

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Liverpool Open Talks to Sign Yan Diomande

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Liverpool are in talks over a deal to sign star forward Yan Diomande this summer, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Reds had a disappointing campaign in the Premier League and Champions League, finishing fifth in the top flight after conceding a record number of goals and losing 13 games, while they were eliminated in the Champions League quarter-finals by Paris Saint-Germain, losing both legs of the tie.

The Anfield club are now planning major upgrades during the summer transfer window as they look to replenish their squad, and talks have begun for their first big signing.

Liverpool Open Talks for Yan Diomande

Yan Diomande

Diomande, who has been described as ‘lethal’, has been one of the breakout stars of the 2025/26 season with RB Leipzig, registering 13 goals and eight assists in all competitions in his first season with the club.

The 19-year-old has emerged as one of the most sought-after attackers in Europe ahead of the transfer window, and the Bundesliga club have slapped an £87m asking price on his head as a result, while they have also offered the Ivorian a new contract to boost his wages and include a release clause, in order to keep hold of him for another season.

But Liverpool are keen to get a deal done to bring him to Merseyside as they search for long-term replacements for Mohamed Salah, and they have now opened talks with the player’s camp to find an agreement.

Diomande has previously revealed that it is his dream to move to Anfield, having grown up as a Liverpool fan, but the club are also looking at alternative options just in case a deal cannot be done.

Paris Saint-Germain also have a strong interest in Diomande, and have also opened talks over a deal.

Diomande a Legend in the Making

Yan Diomande

While it may be early in the career of Diomande, he has all the attributes and quality to become a true legend at Anfield.

Liverpool fans love having tricky wingers who can get them off the edge of their seat and provide excitement, and Diomande is someone who can do just that, and more.

The massive transfer fee may prove to be a bit of a hurdle, but the club showed last summer that they are not afraid to splash the cash if they feel it’s the right thing to do. Diomande would be the spark this squad needs, and it could be a huge statement signing this summer.


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