This month marks the 25th anniversary of the Frenchman’s signing with Arsenal FC. To mark the occasion, the club have compiled a series of Henry’s best moments for the north London team – a merry-go-round of sentimental dopamine rushes.

He has taught the Galacticos a lesson at the Bernabeu, single-handedly pulled off a remontada against Liverpool and carried the Premier League trophy on his head in the Invincibles’ season finale. Life is infinite and so is the supply of iconic Thierry Henry statues.

Henry’s legacy as an all-time Premier League legend is beyond question. In conversations about the Premier League’s greatest player, it is a cardinal sin not to mention his name. He did things on the pitch that could never, ever, be even remotely replicated.

His stunning spinning volley against Manchester United, his audacious back-heel finish from 9 yards against Charlton and his feint after a weak shot following a shimmy before firing the ball past a helpless Jerzy Dudek, Henry inspired the enthusiasm of thousands of schoolchildren who then spent hours in their back gardens practising inside-foot finishes and travelas.

His legacy at Emirates is unforgettable

But the children grew up and the seasons changed. Henry moved on to sunnier climes and won the coveted Champions League trophy with Barcelona. During his absence, Arsenal continued to falter and cynicism gripped even the most passionate fans.

But the King had more wild cards up his sleeve. His legendary, tear-jerking goal against Leeds on his return to the Emirates catapulted us back into the dark recesses of our memories. Not since primary school had the urge to grab a battered football and run around the garden with it been so irresistible.

Signed at the end of a decade that saw the birth of this hybrid footballer and megastar, Thierry Henry’s influence and significance have always transcended the game we love.

In recent years, Arsenal players such as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Bukayo Saka have imitated his most famous celebrations: a knee slide with aura and clenched fists in the North London derby. Or a mischievous smile while leaning casually against the corner flag, a tribute to the heroics of Thierry Henry in the 1990s in the France shirt. Football is the culture. And Thierry Henry is football.

Twenty-five years later, his relevance remains undiminished. Every two weeks during the season, the timeline is flooded with clips of Le Roi using his sophisticated, charismatic aura to poke fun at Micah Richards and Jamie Carragher (just like he used to do on the football pitch).

Thierry Henry has led France to the Olympic final

More importantly, he continues to have a direct influence on the beautiful game as a manager. At the time of writing, Henry led a young French men’s team to a silver medal at the Paris Olympics.

And just like his football sense, Henry’s instinct for iconography doesn’t lose its luster or shine with age. In the dying seconds of the semi-final, Thierry Henry posed with his arms raised to the sky while the French stands erupted in applause after Mateta scored a late winner.

It doesn’t take long before my feed is filled with videos of Thierry Henry dancing. He whirls around the French national team’s dressing room with his trademark casual joy. For the future French football stars, he is a hero, a coach and a colleague all in one.

These pictures confirm to me – if confirmation is needed – that Thierry Henry’s legacy will last forever. My children will know Thierry Henry. And my children’s children, and every generation of football fans that comes after them. Just as I stand here today, staring at photos that are a quarter of a century old.

The world is a better place for Thierry Henry. And it is his world after all. Viva la Va Va Voom.

PHOTOS: IMAGO / Geoff Martin