“You don’t usually get your hands on a trophy” - Arsenal legend Thierry Henry hilariously mocks Tottenham while collecting Lionel Messi’s award
Arsenal legend Thierry Henry aimed a hilarious dig at Tottenham fan Reshmin Chowdhury as he collected Lionel Messi's FIFA Best Men's Player award.
The Argentine icon was not in attendance to collect the honor, and the organizers seemingly failed to draw up a contingency plan in case he won. With nobody else forthcoming to pick up the award on Messi's behalf, Henry, who never won this trophy during his career, stepped up.
While collecting the honor, he aimed a playful jibe at cohost Chowdhury. Pointing out Tottenham Hotspur's failure to win silverware over the years, the Gunners legend said (via Mirror):
"Unfortunately the winner is not here, so someone is going to have to take the trophy. I will take it. I mean I came. I actually have two reasons for taking it. I never won it, so I'll keep it."
"And you are a Tottenham fan right? You usually don't get your hands on a trophy, so I'll take this one. Thank you very much."
The former France international's joke at the expense of Tottenham comes as no surprise, with him having spent eight years at rivals Arsenal. Henry scored 228 goals and assisted 103 from 377 appearances across all competitions for the north London outfit. He won the Premier League title thrice and the FA Cup twice, among other honors.
Tottenham Hotspur's last English first-division success came back in the 1960/61 campaign. They haven't won the FA Cup since 1991.
Arsenal star couldn't contain excitement before facing Lionel Messi for the first time
Arsenal attacker Gabriel Martinelli admitted to having seen Lionel Messi only in video games before Brazil faced Argentina in a 2026 World Cup Qualifier on November 21, 2023.
The Gunners star started this fixture that saw Messi and Co. winning by a 1-0 scoreline after a fiercely contested match. Speaking before the encounter, Martinelli said (via Goal):
“About Lionel Messi... he is a phenomenal player, the best in the world this year again. I want to enjoy the moment of being able to play against him, being able to be in the same stadium as him, watching him up close, because I've only seen him in video games. It's going to be a wonderful experience."
Messi, an eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, has scored an incredible 715 club career goals, having won La Liga 10 times and the UEFA Champions League on three occasions. He also led Argentina to World Cup success in Qatar 2022.