LONDON, May 27 – Thierry Henry believes he can fire Barcelona to an historic treble triumph in the Champions League final now he has rediscovered his love for the game.
The France striker was criticised by fans and Spanish media for lacking the verve he showed at Arsenal following his June 2007 transfer from the Premier League club.
But Henry has been back to his best this season, scoring 25 goals to help Josep Guardiola’s team win the domestic League and Cup double.
A victory over Manchester United in Wednesday’s European showpiece would give Barca their first ever treble and confirm Henry’s place in the club’s hall of fame.
Henry himself is just delighted to have finally become comfortable with his form in Catalonia.
"I’ve definitely changed opinions about me this season. Now I feel the affection of the Nou Camp fans, compared to the really tough times with our home crowd on occasions last year," he told the London Evening Standard.
I like that people question me, I use that to motivate myself and try to prove them wrong.
"My opinion is that this is a club where, to triumph, you have to understand not only the fans but the club, the city and the fact that Catalonia is not Spain.
"That all took me too long to realize when I arrived. The club and I were so far apart on mutual understanding that they were in the southern hemisphere and I was in the north."
Henry has been struggling to overcome a knee injury picked up in the 6-2 win over Real Madrid at the beginning of the month but he is expected to be fit to link up with Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto’o in the Barca forward line.
