Thierry Henry is what Barney Stinson from the American tv-series How I Met Your Mother would call legen - wait for it - dary! Now, the French striker has tied the boots for the last time.

The - now - former Monaco, Juventus, Arsenal, Barcelona and New York Red Bull striker has decided to end his career after his contact with the Americans ran out earlier in December. 

360 goals in 792 club matches later, and with a World Cup- and EURO-trophy in his bag, Henry is now starting a new career.

Instead, Henry will now start a career as Skysport pundit and spread his wisdom to the British football fans. 

We have seen the Arsenal darling on TV before, and to celebrate the striker's new role, Great Dane Football Blog takes a look on what to expect for the future - and what we will miss from the past.

But as much as we will miss the incredible goals, we can look forward to this:

Thomas Vermaelen is set to leave Arsenal and leave Manchester United hanging.

UK media today reports that Arsene Wenger has accepted a £15m bid for Thomas Vermaelen. An offer the French can't refuse. 

The Belgian defender has only one year left of his contract and with only 14 appearances in the Premier League last season, he doesn't seem to have a future for the Gunners with Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny performing solid in the defense. 

Manchester United have been linked with the Belgian for some time, but Vermaelen seems lost for the Red Devils as Barcelona snatch him in front of Vermaelen. 

The Catalonians have been looking to strengthen their central defends this summer, and several players have been trough the transfer rumour mill including Liverpool's Daniel Agger. While Wenger should be happy with the £15m deal, this is bad news for Agger as his exit from Liverpool is on hold; at least for a while.

According to the Mirror, Arsenal are interested in signing the Dane as a back up for Mertesacker and Koscielny, but it is very unlikely Wenger will make an offer for the 29-year-old defender. However, the manager has brought in experienced defenders from rival clubs in the past, and Agger can hope that Arsenal will offer him the exit from Liverpool he so badly wants. 

Other defenders Wenger has brought in from rival clubs:

William Gallas, Sol Campbell, Mikael Silvestre

He wants it so badly, Assem Allam, to change Hull City to Hull Tigers, despite strong opposition from fans. However, the FA has now - for the second time - decided to decline his proposal meaning that Allam can not protest against the decision. The Egyptian has earlier this year threatened to leave the club if he failed to be granted permission for his name switch. Will the fans finally get rid of their number one target?

Wednesday April 9th - Manchester United are out

After 1-1 at Old Trafford, Manchester United fans were hoping their team could surprise once again at Allianz Arena and send Bayern Munich out in the cold. After a rather boring first half where none of the teams looked as they were there to win - Munich could settle with 0-0 result - things started taking speed in the second half. First Patrice Evra scored a goal of a lifetime giving the fans hopes and believe in a semifinal, but less than two minutes after Mandzukic killed the hope. Manchester kept trying and that opened for first Müller and then Robben to finish off Manchester United's Champions League adventure.

Wednesday April 9th - Barca are also out!

Atletico Madrid's win against Barcelona ended the Catalan's unprecedented run of reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League for six consecutive seasons. However, the Barcelona players were outplayed by an Atletico side in great form who deserved the win more than the Catalans did. A player as Lionel Messi was very disappointing and  only ran about 6km - the same as José Manuel Pinto in the goal. Koke gave Atletico the lead after just five minutes, and the Madrilenes kept the lead till the end of the match. Could Atletico win the Champions League this season?

Friday April 11th - Cardiff accuse Crystal Palace of spying

Controversial Cardiff City owner Vincent Tan have written to the Premier League accusing former Head of Recruitment Iain Moody, who is not Sporting Director at Palace of spying. According to Tan, Moody should have used contacts at the club to ascertain the starting line-up before the sides met on Saturday. After the 0-3 loss to the Eagles, Tan wrote to Premier League chief Richard Scudamore demanding an investigation, but the Premier League have told Cardiff to make a formal complaint if they wish to take things further.

Nicolas Anelka's West Bromwich Albion career ended Friday night when the French nomad was sacked for "gross misconduct." The striker was given a five-match ban and a £80,000 fine by the FA for the quenelle gesture he mad at Upton Park in December. Just hours before he was sacked, he Anelka announced that he was terminating his playing contract with the club, but it turned out he was sacked. His hunt for a new club might turn out to be a hard one as FIFA is considering a global ban for the 'quenelle.'

Sunday March 15 - Mourinho

Aston Villa won against Chelsea on Sunday, but it was Willian, Ramires and Mourinho who stole the picture. First, Willian was sent off after two yellow cards, then Ramires, rightful, was sent off before Mourinho was asked to leave the bench for arguing with the ref. William only had himself to blame after receiving a second yellow card for a cynical challenge to stop a Delph run. Ramires challenge was not much better, and finally Mourinho felt the referee was against him. Mourinho was yesterday charged for improper misconduct.

Sunday March 15 - Zlatan breaks PSG record

The Swede took his season tally to a club-record with 40 goals in the 2-0 win against St Etienne. Ibrahimovic surpassed Carlos Bianchi's record from the 1977-78 season where the Argentine scored 39 goals. Zlatan surely is one of the best strikers in the world, but credits have to be given to the team behind him and the league he is playing in. Many still believes that Zlatan could be playing in a much better league than the French. However, the Swede can now add another record to his long cv.

Monday March 16 - Lionel Messi breaks Barcelona record

He is only 26 but have already made his 25th hat-trick for Barcelona on Sunday. As it wasn't enough, the hattrick helped the Argentinian to become Barcelona's all-time leading scorer when he helped his side to a 7-0 win over Osasuna. Messi have now scored 371 goals and eclipsed the record set by Paulino Alcantara who scored 369 goals in 356 appearances between 1912-1927. This is the sixth consecutive season in which the Argentinian has scored 30 goals, and currently on 18 goals this season.

Tuesday March 17 - Ronaldo is set to break record

After Real Madrid's Champions League win against Schalke on Wednesday, where Ronaldo scored twice the Portuguese is only 2 goals away from breaking the Champions League goalscoring record. The record holder at the moment is Ronaldo's rival from Barcelona with 14 goals. However, with 13 goals on the account Ronaldo is more than likely to take the Champions League goalscoring record this season.

Since Blackpool's Stanley Matthews won the FIFA World Player of the Year in 1956, only five British

British players have been praised in the past, with not less than 21 players in top three over the years, before the FIFA World Player of the Year and Ballon d'Or merged and kept the French name in 2010. Since then,  no British player or any foreign Premier League player have been able to make it into the crucial top.

Given the Premier League is valued as one of the best in the world it is incredible that the players are unable to make it when it comes to Ballon d'Or. It is not like there aren't any players with the potential: Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil, Luis Suarez, Frank Lampard, Robin van Persie etc. However, it seems that one of the criteria for competing for the award is to be able to score goals. A lot of goals.

The last three years Lionel Messi have won the award twice and Ronaldo once. The other positions have been shared between Xavi Hernandez or Andres Iniesta. The last three years, all the players, have been from the Spanish La Liga - Surprise! This year Franck Ribéry is mingling among Ronaldo and Messi to become the world's best footballer. However, chances are that it will be the small Argentinian or the Metrosexual Portuguese that will run with the title.

The difference between the English Premier League and the Spanish La Liga is easy to see. While English football is more tactical (it is beginning to be more attacking), Spanish football is almost all attack - More or less. While the Premier League is more competitive between a number of clubs, the Spanish is almost always a battle between Barcelona and Real Madrid. Funny enough, their two star players are fighting for the Ballon d'Or, as well. Now, with Ribéry in play does that mean that the German league is better than the English?

Well, Bayern Munich and Dortmund were the Champions League finalist last season and many football fans are starting to see the 1. Bundesliga as better than the English Premier League. So in some way, the German league is better than the English. That said, the money in the PL and the prestige is higher than the German, and I think all small boys dream of playing in England. However, it seems as if a player dreams of winning Ballon d'Or he should join every other league than the PL.

What's worth watching this week? 

Week 14

Barcelona - AC Milan

Champions League Quarter Finals

Camp Nou

03-04-12 at 19.45 UTC/GMT + 1

Head-to-head (last 10 matches):

Barcelona: 3 victories / 12 goals

    Draws: 15

 AC Milan: 2 victories / 12 goals

This is the second leg of the Quarter Finals, and with a 0-0 draw in the first match, the game is pretty open. AC Milan succeeded holding Barcelona away from scoring on San Siro, but the question is now, if they can do it again. With Barcelona’s astonishing offensive line and the crowd behind them on Nou Camp, AC Milan is going through some test. However, a goal or two for AC Milan will put the Catalans under pressure. The clash between two of Europe’s most historical teams is going to be worth watching.     

Chelsea FC - Benfica

Champions League Quarter Finals

Stamford Bridge

04-04-12 at 19.45 UTC/GMT + 1

Head-to-head (only one match):

Chelsea FC: 1 victory / 1 goal

     Draws: 0

   Benfica: 0 victories / 0 goals

Another second leg of the UEFA Champions League Quarter Finals. Chelsea won the first leg at Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica with a 1-0 result. It looks like Chelsea is back on track with Roberto De Matteo behind the wheel. However, Benfica have not lost their last four games, and Chelsea’s 1-0 lead may not be enough. A Champions League title will light up an otherwise dark season for Chelsea, and this match will reveal if Chelsea is re-born or if Benfica is too big a mouthful for the South London team.

 Valencia - AZ Alkmaar

Europa League Quarter Finals

Mestalla

05-04-12 at 20.05 UTC/GMT + 1

Head-to-head (only one match):

Valencia: 0 victories / 1 goal

   Draws: 0

 Alkmaar: 1 victory / 2 goals

Dutch football and in particular AZ Alkmaar have become better and better the last couple of years, and the club is now standing with one foot in the Europa League Semifinals. After a surprising 2-1 victory against Valencia at home, the question is if they can keep their lead at Mestalla. Valencia has something to prove for their fans, and with a, on paper, much stronger squad they should be able to win at home.  I’m looking forward to this match, as I see Alkmaar as one of this year big surprises in international football and is looking forward to see if they can go all the way.

Lazio - Napoli

Serie A Round 31

Stadio Olimpico

07-04-12 at 20.00 UTC/GMT + 1

Head-to-head (last 10 matches):

 Lazio: 3 victories / 13 goals

 Draws: 5

Napoli: 2 victories / 10 goals

Napoli can bring themselves on a shared third place in Serie A, if they can win against number three, Lazio. Both Napoli and Lazio have some talented attackers in form of Édison Carvani and Miroslav Klose, and this match could well end up in a goal show. Napoli has not won once in the last three rounds in Serie A and is hungry for a victory, while Lazio’s last few games has been a rollercoaster with good and bad results. Napoli is going in to a hard match against Lazio at Stadio Olimpico, and it is well worth watching, which team will end up with the victory.

Arsenal - Manchester City

 Premier League Round 32

Emirates Stadium

08-04-2012 at 16.00 UTC/GMT + 1

Head-to-head (last 10 matches):

        Arsenal: 3 victories / 10 goals

          Draws: 2

Manchester City: 5 victories / 13 goals 

Three points are vital for both Arsenal and Manchester City is the Premier League match. Arsenal can put some distance to Tottenham (given Tottenham looses), while Manchester City will be able to keep up their chase of the Manchester United. The last two clashed between the teams has been won by Manchester City, and Arsenal will be keen on winning, the last meeting in this season. The match will also feature a meeting between the top scorer in the league, Robin Van Persie with 26 goals, and the second best goalkeeper in this season, Joe Hart with 13 clean sheets.  This match is more than any match worth watching!

Keep an eye on: Andreas Retz Laudrup

    

               Age: 21 (10-11-1990)      

          Position: Striker - Left Wing

              Club: FCN (FC Nordsjælland),

                    Danish Superliga

             Debut: 23-04-2009

                    against Brøndby If,

                    Danish Superliga

International Caps: Denmark U21:

                    6 Match(es)

                    2 Goal(s)

                    Denmark U20:

                    1 Match(es)

                    0 Goal(s)

                    Denmark U19: 2 Match(es)

                                 0 Goal(s)

                    Denmark U18: 3 Match(es)

                                 0 Goal(s)

                    Denmark U17: 5 Match(es)

                                 0 Goal(s)

                    Denmark U16: 2 Match(es)

                                 0 Goal(s)

             Value: £450.000 (transfermarkt.co.uk)

“As soon as the name Laudrup is being mentioned, you think of especially Michael and Brian. People, conscious or unconscious, compare Andreas with his father and uncle. It is a heavy burden for a young player, but Andreas is aware of how it is and has become much stronger as well as a lot better in tackling this than he was before”.

“What I have seen from Andreas Laudrup is very positive. He has the right ingredients to become a star player”.

“Andreas is still a young player, and he is in a good club [FC Nordsjælland] at the moment, with a great environment, where they are good at developing young players. He has already of first team experience in the Danish Superliga, and he needs more of it before he can take the next step”.

“He has his best forces in the offensive play. When he has players around him whom he can play combination plays with, then he is really dangerous for the opponent because he has  quick feet and at the same time he knows where his teammates are. What he is working a lot with and what he is putting in his play is to be more decisive in the matches and thereby bringing himself or his fellow player in a position to finish at goal”.

 

Follow up: Andreas Bruhn Christensen - 5 shoot shootout

In relation to last weeks talent profile, Andreas Bruhn Christensen answers 5 questions from the twelve yard spot.

Who is your biggest idol?

I have two, and they are Xavi (Barcelona) and Frank Lampard (Chelsea). Xavi has a view of the game and is an intelligent football player who often chooses the right solutions, while Frank Lampard is a scoring midfielder. He scores goals almost when he wants. I would not complain if I could incorporate some of that into my play. 

What is your greatest experience as a football player?The trial in Liverpool and my debut for the Danish national team were some great experiences. It is a dream to represent your country. It was a lovely match, and I played well; all together it was a great experience.
 

Who is the hardest opponent you have ever played against?We met Spain in Copa del Atlantico. They had three midfielders, which were amazing to play against.

Where is Andreas Bruhn in 10 years?I should be in Germany, Holland or England by then. That is what I hope for.
 

Which team would you most like to play for?
If I was to play in Germany would I like to play for Bayern Munich or Borrusia Dortmund. However, playing for Real Madrid in Spain, would be the top of everything.

For: The well honoured Frenchman is the most winning manager ever in Arsenal, and perhaps Wenger could bring some of his luck and mentality to the team. Arsène Wenger joined Arsenal in 1996 and did not only revolutionise Arsenal but also English football. However,the revolution seems not to have reached the English national team.

Wenger has a long tradition of bringing talents to Arsenal and give them their breakthrough. With Wenger as manager for England, players as Daniel Sturridge and Danny Welbeck, could perhaps take it to the next level and develop into attackers of European class.

Against: If the Football Association decides to try and get Le Professeur as manager for the England team on of the main questions will be if Arsenal is willing to let him go. Arsène Wenger is the spirit of the club, and it would probably cost a fortune to buy him free. Even if, the FA should have the luck to buy him free, I doubt Wenger is willing to leave Arsenal as it has been a life work for him and he will probably not get the same power in the FA as he has in the club.

Another question is if the national team is ready for a manager as Wenger with his attacking 4-1-4-1 formation instead of the often used 4-4-2.

José Mourinho