The Frenchman says losing to Barcelona with Arsenal in the 2006 showpiece affects him much more than not winning the individual Fifa award that year

Thierry Henry revealed that he feels the weight of Arsenal’s defeat to Barcelona in the 2006 Champions League final more than missing out on the Ballon d’Or.

The former France international, who has recently hinted at a return to north Londo upon retirement, won two Premier League titles with the Gunners, scoring a club record 228 goals, but suffered defeat in the final of Europe’s premier club competition to the Catalan outfit.

Henry has been lavished with individual accolades wherever he has played, but never won the Ballon d’Or in his career. The 37-year-old, though, feels his other career achievements more than make up for that fact.

When asked by L’Equipe if he missed not winning the award, Henry said: “It’s useless to ask this question. Of course it’s a great award – I once finished second, once third – that’s not bad.

“I’ve won the World Cup, so I won’t complain. That’s what made me dream when I was small, not individual honours.

“When I got aggrivated, I told myself: ‘Can you not see that one day you will play for the France team?’ and when the World Cup was on TV, ‘Can you not see you will win it?’. But even then I felt I had almost gone too far.”

The striker, now featuring for New York Red Bulls in the MLS, went on to admit that failing to win the Champions League with Arsenal is a greater regret of his.

“I think if I had not missed two chances in the final of the Champions League in 2006 with Arsenal against Barcelona, there would be no discussion,” Henry added.

“And frankly, it weighs on me more not to have won the Champions League there.

“The ‘if’ is not my thing. I sleep fine at nights. I’ve done what I have done, what I could do, with successes and failures.”

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