ProSoccerTalk Player of the Week: Thierry Henry

It was not just the outstanding, graceful quality of that late goal, which may have been irrelevant to the Red Bulls result but qualifies as “something special” due to artistry of the work.

And it was not just the three assists, which definitely did claim relevance in the result as the Red Bulls ran roughshod over Toronto FC on Saturday night at Red Bull Arena, keeping pace in a fierce Eastern Conference jostle-fest for playoff positioning.

It was all of that – but more. It was panache about it all. It was the completeness of the work. It was the very craftsmanship by which the Red Bulls striker went about it all. Recalling the swagger of another day, Henry was truly a man among boys in steering the 4-1 victory.

Let Red Bulls manager Hans Backe sum it up for you: “This is probably one of Thierry’s best games since he arrived. Good on the ball, precise, hard-working, and phenomenal assists and a great, great goal in the final minutes. … Top class.”

Here, just for one more look-see, is Henry’s fantastic goal to punctuate the night:

.