BBC – Former Arsenal and France striker Thierry Henry will be honoured with the Lifetime Achievement award at BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
The 48-year-old, widely considered to be one of the Premier League’s greatest players, retired in 2014.
He will be presented with the award at the 2025 BBC Sports Personality of the Year show on Thursday, live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from 19:00 GMT.
“Football has given me everything and I gave it my all,” said Henry.
“To be recognised as part of its history with this Lifetime Achievement award and to have made my mark for the fans and my team-mates is something I’ll never take for granted.”
Henry scored 228 goals in 377 matches for Arsenal across his two spells with the Gunners, eclipsing Ian Wright to become the club’s record goalscorer in 2005.
He won three FA Cups and two Premier League titles during his time in England – including the 2003-04 season when Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’ remained unbeaten throughout the Premier League campaign.
The striker won the Premier League Golden Boot a record-equalling four times and was named in the PFA Team of the Year six seasons in a row.
He holds the joint-record with Kevin de Bruyne for the most assists (20) in a single Premier League season.
In 2024, the Lifetime Achievement award was awarded to British cycling great Sir Mark Cavendish.
Other previous winners of the award include Billie Jean King, Pele, Sir Bobby Charlton, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, Sir David Beckham, Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill and Sir Chris Hoy.
Born in the Paris suburb of Les Ulis, Henry won the World Cup on home soil in 1998 and was an integral part of the side that won the European Championship in 2000.
With 51 goals in 123 appearances for Les Bleus, Henry was the country’s record scorer until former Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud surpassed his total in 2022.
But his infamous handball against the Republic of Ireland during World Cup qualifying in 2009 caused huge controversy.
He handled the ball in the build-up to William Gallas’ decisive extra-time goal, which sealed a 1-1 draw on the night, and a 2-1 aggregate win for France, ending Ireland’s chances of qualifying for the 2010 Finals.
After eight seasons at Arsenal, Henry joined Barcelona in 2007 and won the treble – La Liga, Champions League and Copa del Rey – in 2009 with the Catalan giants, as they beat Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United in the Champions League final in Rome.
The Frenchman joined Major League Soccer side New York Red Bulls in 2010 but returned to Arsenal for a seven-game loan spell in 2012.
In his first appearance for the club in five years, Henry netted the winner in a 1-0 win against Leeds United.
Henry scored his only other goal of the two-month loan spell in his final appearance for Arsenal, with a stoppage-time winner against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
After retiring in 2014, Henry assumed a career in punditry and worked for BBC Sport as a studio pundit at Euro 2016.
Having worked with Arsenal’s youth teams, Henry took his first steps into management as Belgium head coach Roberto Martinez’s assistant in 2016.
In October 2018, Henry was named head coach of his former team Monaco, but spent just three months in charge of the Ligue 1 side.
He was appointed head coach of MLS outfit Montreal Impact in 2019 but left the Canadian club in 2021 in order to return to Europe.
The shortlisting panel for this year’s awards included 2014 Rugby World Cup winner Maggie Alphonsi, former England footballer Anita Asante, double Paralympic gold medal-winning sprinter Libby Clegg, former world champion boxer Carl Frampton and 2009 World Cup-winning cricketer Ebony Rainford-Brent.
Media personality and sports presenter Josh Denzel, sports broadcaster and Match of the Day co-host Kelly Cates, Daily Mail chief sports feature writer Riath Al-Samarrai, and Times sports reporter Molly Hudson were also on the panel.
Representing the BBC were Director of Sport Alex Kay-Jelski, head of content Philip Bernie, and executive producer Marc Vesty.
Kay-Jelski said: “Thierry Henry redefined what it meant to be a modern footballer.
“From his artistry and intelligence in the Premier League to his impact on the global stage, his brilliance combined elegance with ruthless excellence.
“Thierry inspired generations of players and fans through his creativity, leadership and unmistakable love for the game. His influence extends far beyond his goals, shaping football culture and the way the sport is played and understood today.
“His legacy as one of the greatest footballers of all time makes him a truly deserving winner of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement award.”
