Thierry Henry recalls heartbreaking moment he knew he had to retire
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France and Arsenal legend Thierry Henry knew his career was over after a quiet, heartbreaking realisation during a simple game with his daughter.
Henry widely regarded as one of the greatest strikers of all time and one of the greatest players in Premier League history.
He officially retired in 2015 at the age of 37, after spending five years at MLS side New York Red Bulls.
The Frenchman had been battling a persistent Achilles problem for years, which gradually chipped away at his on-field abilities.
And whilst playing with his daughter in his New York home, the limitations of his body became painfully clear.
Speaking on Steven Bartlett's Diary of a CEO podcast, Henry described the exact moment he realised it was time to hang up his boots.
I suffered from an Achilles problem for more than 10 years both sides. I was in pain every morning, really, pain, the pain was never going away all day, both sides, both of my Achilles.
Sometimes, I felt a bit better, sometimes not but every morning, I was in pain, afternoon, night, for 10 years.
So I'm at home with my daughter and she comes close to me, touches me and goes "you're it," and she ran.
I wanted to run, I couldn't. I looked at her and said "Hey you won". I couldn't chase her.
I stopped and went "What are you doing?" Like, I just couldn't, I'm not even joking Steven, she ran and I just couldn't move.
That's when I knew, I couldn't handle the pain anymore.
Although it was pain that prompted his decision to retire, Henry had been playing on with long-term injury problems for years and is satisfied that he walked away on his own terms.
People stopped because of injuries, some people stopped because of different stuff, I stopped, it was on my terms, I stopped. I knew I could still play, but I stopped.
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