LONDON — Jack Charlton, the former England World Cup winner and Republic of Ireland manager, always maintained that "in football, money buys your loyalty."
Whichever club a player plays for he gives 100 percent, regardless of the shirt he is wearing. With this in mind I wonder if Thierry Henry's thoughts about returning to Arsenal with Barcelona in the Champions League next Wednesday are designed to hide the reality of a professional so cold-eyed he had no problems cheating Ireland out of a possible place at the World Cup finals with his infamous handball for France in the playoffs.
Henry is an Arsenal legend after scoring 226 goals in his eight years as a Gunner and will be given a hero's reception at Emirates Stadium as he faces his former club for the first time since his move to Nou Camp three years ago.