Today was a win for Barça over Mallorca. It showed the team with more cylinders firing off than at any time of the season so far, which has been consistently compromised by one handicap or another.
It is a world cup qualifying year so players end up getting shipped back to play with their countrymen for strange one-off games against Lichtenstein in the Ivory Coast. During one such game, Thierry Henry got an injury that kept him out of play since early in the season.
But today he was back on the squad, and though the side was already up by one (off of two goals by Pedro), it was Henry's header into the net that was the exhilarating moment of the match. Two months of play behind us, it was TiTi's first goal of the season. The superstar is already 32 and not the undeniable force that he used to be. In fact, he is looking to a career in the MLS playing for the Kansas City Chipotles, or whoever next year. This season has clearly been all about Ibra, Messi, and even Keita. Really, anyone but TiTi.
So when he leaped forward to smash the ball into the goal with his cleanly shaved dome, it was a reclamation of the place of importance, if not necessity, that he has held for the squad and the game itself as it is played in Europe. Thierry Henry, the leading scorer for the French national team, and the all time scorer of Arsenal showed he still had the hunger to get the goal.
It was not the most beautiful or poetic score that he has made. But, to be fair, it would be near impossible for anyone to duplicate the kind of subtle, yet decisive strike that he has made his trademark over a champion's career--himself, no exception. And as his teammates swarmed him before he could even stand up, their pride at his accomplishment made everyone thrill at the return of our champion.
No comments:
Post a Comment