Seb sets the scene

Thierry Henry scoring a last-minute winner to sign off his Gunners career was a magical moment of great celebration and joy for Arsenal supporters everywhere. Well all except one, maybe.

Sebastian Larsson had grown up at the Arsenal academy, moving from Sweden to join us at the age of 16 in 2001, and remains a big fan of the club to this day. He went on to play 12 times for the first team before leaving for Birmingham City, five years after signing scholarship forms with us.

But on February 11, 2012 Seb was in the opposing team as we travelled to Sunderland, with the returning Henry et al desperate for the three points that would keep us in the fight for Champions League qualifications.

By now 25, Seb was a mainstay at the Stadium of Light, enjoying something of a revival under new manager Martin O’Neil.

“I remember the game very well, and Thierry’s goal of course,” Seb begins, “and all I remember thinking is what a heartbreaker it was for us, so late on.

“You wonder sometimes if something like that is written in the stars though. I remember he was subbed on in the second half, and the goal I can remember clearly. The cross came in and he jumped and stretched to score with his right foot I think.

“Now I look back on it in a different way, but at the time it was tough to take, conceding so late against one of the big teams. But that’s what he did – he scored goals, so for him and the fans it must have been an incredible moment.

“I didn’t get his shirt after the game unfortunately – that would have been a nice one – but as I said, at the time I was just disappointed with the result, so I wasn’t really thinking about that. It’s only afterwards that you reflect on these moments, that are remembered for a long time.”

The return of the King

So although Seb may still have mixed emotions recalling Thierry’s 228^th and final goal for us, it remains a red-letter day in our history, and the culmination of an extraordinary Gunners career.

“I am not coming here to be a hero or prove anything. I am just coming here to help.” Those were Thierry’s words when he made his spectacular return to the club, on loan, in January 2012 – four and a half years after leaving.

But not for the first time, he surpassed those expectations – adding another, unforgettable final chapter to his Arsenal story during his comeback.

His epilogue opened with that emotion-fuelled winner against Leeds United at Emirates Stadium in the FA Cup third round. That dramatic moment alone was enough to justify his comeback to the club – at the age of 34 – for one last hurrah. But he wasn’t finished there.

But first some context surrounding Thierry’s high-profile return to north London that 2012 winter. The striker had left the club at the end of the 2006/07 season – our first at Emirates Stadium – to join Frank Rijkaard’s Barcelona.

Although mainly playing on the wing, he top-scored for Barcelona in his debut season, with 19 goals in all competitions. The following year he really showed his class though. In Pep Guardiola’s first season in charge, he scored 26 goals in all competitions, winning the treble of La Liga, Spanish Cup and Champions League in the process.

His influence began to wane in his third and final season at the Catalan club, though he helped them retain the league title, as well as win the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup – starting both finals. In July 2010 he signed for MLS side New York Red Bulls, and was their top scorer in the 2011 season.

He kept a close relationship with Arsenal throughout his time in America. With the MLS campaign running from March to November, he maintained his fitness in the off season by training with Arsenal at London Colney, first in January 2011.

A few months later he was in meaningful action in north London, captaining his Red Bulls side to silverware in the 2011 Emirates Cup. Then, at the end of that year, he was back in north London, for the unveiling of his statue on the podium.

In January of 2012 he was back to train with us, as he did the previous year, but this time was different.

With Marouane Chamakh and Gervinho both called up for the Africa Cup of Nations, Arsène Wenger was suddenly short of attacking options. Robin van Persie was the undisputed focal point of our attack, with Theo Walcott supporting from the wing, but beyond that the manager’s pool of forwards was limited to the largely untested Park Chu-Young.

So on January 6, 2012, following plenty of speculation, we officially announced the return of the King.  

“We will have Thierry for January and February, then he will go back to the United States,” Wenger said, explaining the short-term loan deal.

"During these two months he will be a massive asset to the team in the dressing room and on the pitch. He can be relaxed, not under too much pressure and be a tremendous help to the team."

For the man himself, it was an offer he couldn’t refuse. "I always said I was never going to come back and play in Europe again but, when the team you love and support asks you back, it's kind of hard to say no.

"Even if it is just five seconds, one second, or just talking in the dressing room, I will give my best whatever it is."

Within three days of joining, he had scored the only goal in our FA Cup meeting with Leeds, and it was a pure Thierry Henry classic, rolling back the years with a right-foot finish low into the corner, after sprinting onto Alex Song’s pass from the inside left position, and opening his body up to arc his shot past the diving keeper, inside the far post.