After Dinner Speakers: Thierry Henri, The Commitments, Jackson Samuel

Born on August 17, 1977 in Paris, Thierry Henry spent his childhood with a soccer ball by his side. As a teenager, he excelled for the national junior teams of France, traveling the world and gaining valuable match experience. At the age of thirteen, his professional rights were secured by First Division Monaco. He played his first pro game in December 1994 against rival Nice, when he was just seventeen years old. His offensive impact was immediate and although he had not yet grown into his lanky frame, Henry was heralded as a future star. After a brief passage with the famed club Juventus in Italy, a marriage that failed from the start, Henry found new life in England with Arsenal. Henry has impressed football fanatics across the world with his natural physical ability. His offensive execution has been called spectacular, and most effective of all is his uncanny speed with the ball at his feet. There is not a defender in the world that has proved capable of keeping up with him. Still a young player by soccer standards, Henry could very well realize a considerable improvement of his skill in the decade to come.