New Delhi,jul 8
Thierry Henry said his former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi reminded everyone that he is “not human” after the Argentina captain inspired a dramatic comeback against Egypt, saying the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner has a unique ability to raise his game when his team needs him the most.Reacting to Argentina’s 3-2 victory over Egypt in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16, Henry, while speaking on Fox Sports, reflected on his years as Messi’s teammate at Barcelona and said the Argentine’s competitive fire is unlike anything he has witnessed.”First and foremost, look at him crying, and how much that means to him and to the team,” Henry said, as quoted by Fox Sports.”It first reminded us that he’s human; he’s human because he missed some penalty kicks, four out of eight. Then it reminds us again that he’s not human!”Henry and Messi played together at FC Barcelona for three seasons, from 2007 to 2010. During their time together, they helped the club win seven major trophies, including the historic 2009 treble (La Liga, Copa del Rey, and UEFA Champions League).Henry then recalled a training-ground incident during their time together to explain what motivates Messi.”I played with him as you just mentioned, and what happens with Leo–don’t wake the sleeping beast inside him! That’s exactly what’s happening, and I’ve seen it up close in training,” he said, according to Fox Sports.He added, “You know how it can be in training sometimes; when one of the coaches doesn’t want to call a foul, or when the ball goes out, and play continues, and then a goal is scored from it, and Leo wanted that ball called out or as a foul. And when the coach said, ‘The ball didn’t go out, stop complaining, this could happen in a match.’ In the next moment, you look into his eyes and find that he’s completely transformed!””He goes and takes the ball, and I was there and witnessed it myself, then he scores three goals in a row; he takes the ball from you and scores straight away, then he snatches it again and scores, then he snatches it and scores again, then he turns around and says: ‘Next time, call the foul.’ And we were all saying: ‘Yeah, yeah, next time we’ll call the foul!’ Because you simply can’t stop him. When he gets into that mood, it’s very hard to contain him,” Henry further added.
