When Henry left Arsenal in 2007, he was able to take with him the honors of being the record goal scorer in Europe, with 42 goals, and the club's record goal scorer in the league, with 174 goals. Thierry Henry has used his prominence in the sports world to champion the fight against racism in football. Following a 2004 incident when the Spanish national team's coach used a racial slur to refer to the France striker, Henry launched Nike's Stand Up Speak Up campaign against racism. This effort led to Time's inclusion of Henry on their 2007 "The Time 100" list of heroes and pioneers.

Thierry Henry is of Antillean descent and was born in an urban neighborhood of Paris – Les Ulis, France. He has played for Juventus FC, Arsenal FC and AS Monaco clubs and now wears number 14 for FC Barcelona. He's also been a member of the France national football team since the 1997-98 season. Henry's individual honors include being named French Player of the Year five times, PFA Players' Player of the year in 2002-03 and 2003-04, Confederations Cup top goal scorer in 2003 and recipient of the European Golden Boot in 2004 and 2005. He was also a member of the France national football team when they won the FIFA World Cup in 1998, the Confederations Cup in 2003 and the European Championship in 2000.