One of the finest strikers in the world, Thierry Henry was hailed as the new star of French football following the retirement of Zinedine Zidane in the summer of 2004.

It is a label he never seemed to be comfortable with, preferring to emphasise his qualities as a team player rather than an individual.

It is also a label he has struggled to live up to. Raymond Domenech was hoping that an electric, free-scoring Henry would point the way ahead for his inexperienced new team, but the forward has struggled to re-produce his Arsenal form in blue in recent times.

Whether the French public expect too much from him, or whether Henry himself is so demanding that he places himself under unnecessary pressure, is unclear. But the return of Zinedine Zidane after a year’s break will certainly be welcomed by the Gunners star, who can get on his job as usual once more without the added pressure of being France’s saviour in waiting.

Born in Les Ulis, Henry’s talent was evident from a young age and he was selected to join France’s centre of excellence at Clairefontaine aged 13. A spell at FC Versailles was followed by a switch south to Monaco, where he started his professional career and was soon terrorising Ligue 1 defences.

Employed as a right-winger initially by Arsène Wenger, then by Jean Tigana, Henry netted 20 goals in 105 League matches and picked up a French championship winner’s medal in 1997.

He made his debut for Les Bleus against South Africa that same year, and netted three goals in France’s World Cup success in 1998.

Still a raw and precocious talent, Henry moved to Juventus in 1998, but struggled to live up to his billing and quit Turin for Arsenal six months later after scoring three times in 16 Serie A appearances.

Re-united with Wenger, Henry was initially low on confidence. He started his Highbury career on the left wing and missed a host of chances, leaving Arsenal fans to question Wenger’s judgement. That soon changed, however, as Henry – now playing as a centre forward for the first time – began setting the Premiership alight. His brilliant dribbling, electric pace, cool head and ability to entertain saw the Frenchman emerge as the Premiership’s outstanding performer.

He scored goals for fun and created a host of chances for his teammates, helping the Gunners win the championship in 2002 and the FA Cup in 2003, when he picked up the Player of the Year award. Henry won the same accolade the following season, 2003-04, as the Gunners clinched the Premiership without losing a match.

In the meantime, his performances for France have been consistently very good, if less spectacular than those for Arsenal. Superb at Euro 2000, where he scored three times and inspired Les Bleus’ successful campaign, he did not have so much joy at the World Cup two years later. Sent off in France’s second game against Uruguay, Henry could only watch from the stands as Roger Lemerre’s team were eliminated at the group stage.

Much was expected from France and Henry at Euro 2004, but neither lived up to expectations. ‘Titi’, as he is known to his teammates, scored a quick-fire brace against Switzerland in the group stage, but like so many of France’s star men, he went missing somewhat in the quarter-final defeat by Greece.

He had 28 goals to his name in 70 internationals by the start of the 2005-06 campaign.