Thierry Henry is a legendary striker who spent a year at Arsenal working with Danny Malen.
In the first leg of their Champions League knockout match, Borussia Dortmund and his former club PSV Eindhoven drew 1-1. Fast forward to the present, and the dynamic attacker has scored for his team.
‘I had him for a year because I was passing my badges there,’ shared Thierry Henry, whilst speaking to CBS Sports on Paramount+ (20/02/24 at 10:30 pm).
Donyell Malen began his career with Ajax. In 2015, he moved to the Emirates, but he did not play there until he eventually joined PSV.
Thierry Henry acknowledged that returning to Eindhoven would have likely been a “emotional” night for him, but he is “really happy” that things have turned out well because “people doubted him.”
From Arsenal to Borussia Dortmund
Pre-match: “I like Donyell Malen,” said Henry. “I like his story. He is coming back to the ground where he won the league six years ago with Eindhoven.
“He had to battle cruciate ligaments. A lot of stories. He was at Ajax as a youngster. He couldn’t cope with it, then he came to Arsenal and couldn’t make it at Arsenal, then he went to Eindhoven and he made a path for himself.
Post-match comments after his goal in the Champions League: “I had him for a year because I was passing my badges there. It didn’t work out for him at Arsenal. I thought he had some quality, but at Arsenal, you have a lot of quality.
“Then he went to Eindhoven and played for a young PSV. That’s the second team and he ended up doing brilliantly, which I am very happy about because, at the very beginning, people were doubting him. He trusted himself and his qualities, with his family, and he made it happen and won the league with PSV.
“Now, he plays for Holland. He scored tonight. It must have been emotional to play against Eindhoven, a team that he won the league with almost six years ago, so I am very happy for him.”