Henry played under Guardiola at Barcelona from 2008 to 2010 and won La Liga twice, the Copa Del Rey, the Spanish Cup, the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup with the boss.
The now France Under-21 manager admires Guardiola’s attention to detail and his ruthless will to win.
Henry saw both traits in the way Guardiola often utilised him for the good of the team.
“Arsene [Wenger] opened my brain and Pep [Guardiola] opened my eyes,” said Henry ahead of this weekend’s clash with his former club Arsenal on the ‘Rest is Football’ podcast.
“I still am, but back in the day I was stubborn as hell. Oh my gosh.
Next Fixture
All fixturesPremier League
BST
“I think I know my game. You come out of Arsenal. You go to Barcelona and he comes and he tells me to stay high and wide because he says he wants to free space for [Andres] Iniesta.
“I’m looking and thinking ‘what the hell is he talking about, this guy?’. You’ve never seen me play? I can come in midfield and take the ball.
“But he says ‘I’m happy for you but we are not doing this’. Every time you need to make a run and most of the time you won’t get it.
“I’m like ‘hang on, am I a decoy player now?’ From touching every single ball both halves, even when I didn’t want it?
“‘Yes you need to go in and run in behind. You free the space for Iniesta’.
“I’m like ‘that won’t work, what is he talking about?’
“[But] that’s exactly what happens every game.
“We knew what we had to do. Every single detail. He controlled everything.
“And you’re like ‘that won’t last’. Well, it does last and every time he manages!”
Henry recalls the glittering successes of working with Guardiola but also the times, later on in his career at Barca in his mid-30s, when he couldn’t even get in the squad.
The former World Cup winner says that decision-making showcased Guardiola’s tunnel vision as the manager eyed success.
“What I would say about Pep is, first and foremost, he is the best I have seen,” added Henry.
“But Pep is ruthless and I experienced it. Sometimes I travelled and he used to put me in the stands. I’m 32, 33 at that moment.
“‘You make me travel and you put me in the stand?’.
“So I could be here right now bitter. Like a lot of players would be bitter.
“But you have to recognise [that what happened is] someone took my position. I opened the door like I did it to someone [in the past] and they took the keys and swallowed them - so you stay out Thierry.
“It was difficult to deal with myself for allowing someone to go in front of me.
“Pep wants to win. That’s how you have to see it. It’s in the title. If I’m in the stand, it’s because he thinks he can win without me.
“So I was upset with myself for letting myself be in that position first and foremost.
“He is ruthless. Big clubs and big coaches don’t wait for nobody. I don’t care who you are, what you did.”
