He leaves the sweaty field. Despite that role that he just can’t hear his own, the season finale went to grow. Three goals, some assists scattered here and there and the impression of being able to skip the opponents with a disarming naturalness. On his back he brings an atypical number 6 – it is the season in which Juve makes the wicked choice of coloring them red, making them illegible – but still anomalous position is also there, because Carlo Ancelotti He claims that it starts too far from afar, too defilated. Thierry Henrywho has landed at Juve for just one year and has already seen Marcello Lippi resign the resignationturn up the nose. So, we might as well put him back. Okay to release that progression, but what is the opportunity to aim for the door? A potential champion anesthetized by a sudden tactical fence.
However the season is over. From here on we will see. Henry leaves the field, he said, but he doesn’t have time to earn showers. Luciano Moggi stops him who – as the champion told many years later – takes him under the arm and drags him to a room. “Come with me, I have to tell you an urgent thing.” So urgent that Titì cannot even change. Moggi closes the door behind him. The coach, Carlo Ancelotti is already sitting in the room.
“Listen, we want to take the loving rotten from Udinese – The sports director goes straight to the point – but they don’t give it if you don’t borrow from them. “follows a handful of chilling seconds. The faces are pulled, covered by an inevitable embarrassment. Henry says nothing, also because he does not come the right words. He is just 21 years old, all still to be done and a potential still widely unexpressed. Moggi realizes the disappointment of the Boy and tries to reassure him.
“But we have confidence in you, look that we then recover.”
“Nice trust”, replies Titì. At that point Ancelotti also tries to convince him. Certainly between the two there are divergences about the way of understanding football, but the Frenchman really thinks of deserving the stay at Juventus. So he stands up, fixes them in turn and adds: “Do you have confidence in Del Piero?”.
“Of course yes,” Moggi replies.
“Well, then send us to Udinese”. A handful of words that sink like a blade. “I was terribly young and stupid – Henry will say later – but in the end it went well, right?”. However, Thierry did not finish launching his load. He takes off the shirt and adds: “I will never wear it again”. The rest is history.
French Switch to Wenger Arsenalwho convinces him of what he had always suspected: he is an attacker. In his new position, he will write the history of the Gunners, becoming a monumental player.
That day at the end of the Moggi and Ancelotti championship they imposed one of the most deafening stumbles of their careers. A regret that Juventus still lives today, in the light of the total champion in which Titì would later turn. After all, only a little more trusted was needed.