Thierry Henry earned a round of applause from fellow presenters and pundits with a touching tribute to Patrick Vieira live on air.
The Arsenal legend joined host Kate Scott and other regulars Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards in the studio for CBS Sports’ coverage of Wednesday night’s Champions League football.
5
Henry and his co-pundits were covering a big night of European action, with two quarter-final second legs delivering huge entertainment.
At the Allianz Arena, Bayern Munich pulled off a dramatic 4-3 win over Real Madrid to progress 6-4 on aggregate.
Elsewhere, Arsenal overcame Sporting Lisbon at the Emirates Stadium, with Henry’s former club booking their place in the semi-finals for the second season in a row with a 1-0 aggregate victory.
And the CBS panel were joined by another Gunners legend to help them in their coverage in north London.
Legendary midfielder Patrick Vieira was pitch-side at the Emirates before kick-off on behalf of American broadcaster CBS.
But before the Arsenal Invincible could give his thoughts on the upcoming game he was paid a touching tribute by Henry.
The two club legends spent six years as teammates at Arsenal between 1999 and 2006, winning the Premier League twice – including an unbeaten 2003/04 campaign – as well as three FA Cups.
Honouring his fellow Frenchman, Henry began: “First and foremost, thank you.
“What I want to say is, we were in the green room before, we were talking, having a meeting.”
Widely regarded as one the Premier League’s greatest ever midfielders, Vieira was known for his power, leadership and technical ability in the centre of the park.
5
5
And Henry was quick to hail the legendary figure for being a driving force in one of Arsenal’s most successful eras.
He continued: “When Patrick was going to chase something or wanting to get the ball, I knew he was going to get it.
“I was always moving away from the defender, because I knew that ball was going to come and I knew I was going to get the ball back, because his first thought every single time was to stop the counter and to make sure that we were going on the counter
“His ability on the ball was second to none, the way he was leading the team was second to none.”
Henry: Forever thankful
Rounding off his moving tribute to Vieira, Henry then hailed the iconic Frenchman for the sacrifices he made for Arsenal.
Hailing Vieira to the CBS panel, Henry went on: “I have to say he put his knees, literally, on the line for Arsenal Football Club. And for that I will always be thankful.
5
“I saw you working in the morning [before training] and I was like ‘How is he going to play?’
“But when the referee was blowing the whistle, you were always going to give your all for the Arsenal, and for that I will always respect you.
“I didn’t say anything at the time, but the way you were as a captain, and the way you were as a guy that was leading us every single time – big man I have to say that you were just outstanding.
“So I’m so happy that we shared so many games together. Love you, and see you soon.”
Henry’s touching words left his fellow CBS Sports stars, as he was then given a round of applause and cheers.
Usually known to poke fun at one another, Micah Richards and Jamie Carragher could be seen smiling and clapping.
5
Meanwhile presenter Scott added: “That was good, come on!”
As well as winning the Premier League and FA Cup twice alongside Henry, Vieira also tasted glory in both competitions in his second season at Highbury in the 1997/98 campaign.
