ARSENAL legend Thierry Henry is one of the most famous players in football history.
But the World Cup winner says he is now just as recognised for his work on CBS Sports as for his illustrious career.
“My career wasn’t s***e, sorry to say, but I get as many compliments now from what I did on the field as with CBS,” Henry told The Sun.
“Sometimes people come up to me and ask for a picture.
“I expect they will say they love Arsenal or Barcelona or the French national team, whatever it is…but they say, ‘No, I love you on CBS’.”
The two-time Premier League and LaLiga champion has become a key part of CBS Sports’ Champions League program in the United States, alongside co-hosts Kate Abdo, Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards.
At the Champions League fanfest in Miami this week, Henry delighted audiences by revealing his best-ever player shirt swap and left his fellow pundits emotional when asked his biggest fear.
And the 46-year-old says the infectious chemistry between the co-hosts – and freedom to speak about a range of topics – makes it the greatest football show he has ever been on.
“I think [it is] for me by a distance,” Henry adds.
“There is a difference between fitting in, which is what I felt I was doing in some shows before, and here I belong.
“Fitting in you do what people want you to do in order to be where you are and belonging is… you.
“We have rules as you can imagine – you cannot do whatever you want – but to be able to express yourself on TV and bring your outlook and how you see the game, I think it’s valuable.
“There is great energy, we can laugh, we can talk about war, we can talk about anything.
“Sometimes it’s a bit edgy, that is how a family is.
“That’s why it’s the best show I’ve been on.”
Henry also believes a reason for the success of the show – both in the US and globally through social media – is that audiences can relate to all the co-hosts.
“When you watch us, people see them in me or more in Micah, I think we cover everything,” he says.
“It’s exactly how you would be in a room at home without the swearing. It’s like almost watching yourself.
“If you can educate and entertain people and relate also then you are not far from people loving your show.”
The program has become an international phenomenon because of the hilarious banter and jokes, such as Clint Dempsey’s impromptu rap this week.
Even Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola described the CBS Sports team as the “funniest” in the Champions League.
“When [that compliment] comes from a guy like Pep or Paolo Maldini it warms you a little bit,” Henry says.
“A lot of the stuff you see is not rehearsed.
“We have stuff now to make people laugh, if somebody makes a mistake they already know.”
But as much as the CBS Sports team relish their global fame, they also want to be taken seriously as well.
It is an issue that has been affected by the network’s inability to show football highlights outside of the US, which affects their social media channels.
“It hurts Thierry that people think of us as a f**k-around show,” CBS Sports senior creative director Pete Radovich says.
“No, we do hardcore, serious analysis.
“We’ve just to be more creative in how we do that.”
