Thierry Henry was one of the first “out there” who understood what was going on with Bodø/Glimt. The French football icon told the world: “We talk about money and names, but nothing beats a team.” It was precisely the team, the organization, the discipline and the courageous football that fascinated Henry. We guess the Frenchman smiled broadly after Tuesday’s Champions League qualifier at Aspmyra. Now more Bodø/Glimt action awaits Henry on dark Champions League nights in the coming months.
In this year’s Champions League qualifiers, Bodø/Glimt are through to the group stage with 6-1 in two games against Dutch NEC. The NEC supporters already understood at home with a 1-3 loss, that the Norwegian club plays at a much higher level – and has an away mentality like few others. Thierry Henry could have told them. We rewind to what “Bodø/Glimt expert” Henry said about the gang from Bodø last Champions League season.
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“Last year we talked about them as a curiosity from the north, but now? Now they are the most refreshing and bravest team in Europe. If I was one of the big clubs that are now going into the last eight, I would do everything to avoid facing them in a double-header. They make you run after the ball until you get dizzy,” Henry said after Bodø/Glimt’s 1-2 win against Atletico Madrid.
Then it was time for Inter Milan for the first playoff match at Aspmyra. 3-1 win for Glimt, Henry had to explain to colleague and Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher why he didn’t have to be so shocked.
“It may be surprising, but when you look at the latest results for Bodø/Glimt, is it actually that? They have done it at home. They have done it away.
They’ve done it at home, they’ve done it away.
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So after Bodø/Glimt sank Inter Milan with a 1-2 victory, Thierry Henry, one of the best attacking players of all time, could explain what Bodø/Glimt have built up.
“What they do is they attack and defend together, no matter where they are on the pitch – whether they are low, in the middle or attacking. It’s a real team, and we should all remember that this is a team game,” Henry begins in the CBS studio.
“We always talk about it. This is exactly what football should be about. And that’s a lesson for everyone watching. Kids, that’s a team,” the Arsenal legend continues.
Then came the conclusion from Henry.
“I love to see a team like this. It’s very refreshing, because that’s how football should be. It doesn’t matter what you have here (pointing to your chest) or the name on your back, it’s what you have in your heart, and that’s what you see at Bodø/Glimt. That’s all it’s about.
Also after the leaden loss in the second leg against Sporting, Henry praised Glimt.
“It was an outstanding series. We don’t have to go back and say, okay, you lost 5-0 and it was extra time. We don’t need to slaughter these boys just because they lost 5-0. What Bodø has accomplished is outstanding, I really have to say, and they deserve all the credit,” said the French legend in the CBS studio.
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Now Henry can smile, his favorite team Bodø/Glimt is ready for more Champions League action.
