It's an unfortunate truth that football players have a short window of opportunity to leave their mark on the game. Few manage to lace up and produce a lasting legacy. Few, however, are Thierry Henry.
A master of his own creating, a cultural appreciator and an open minded thinker, we caught up with the Parisien king of cool to pinch the leather and get his take on the latest dose of football cool that PUMA have brought to the table in the form of the evoSPEED SL Leather.
There's no denying the hunger and the game changing tenacity of one of the Premier League's all time great still lives behind those eyes and won't be going anywhere in a hurry. As much as we're here to talk boots, the love of the game is triggered in beautifully pure fashion for Henry. “You know what, it’s kind of weird, for me, it’s usually when I see a ball. If you put a ball there in front of me, I will just be off with it. With the boots, when you feel how light they are it's special…I can’t really complain because I started to play football and was in a generation where football boots were already light but I have been wearing these in training because believe it or not, I have to train with the under 18s sometimes when some players are missing and I love it but yes, of course [They make me want to lace up again.]”
When you know, you know. A passion shared by many of us, a fresh pair of boots is almost spiritual. “Any time, even now, whenever I get a new tracksuit, some new trainers, when I get some new boots or new kit, I look at them like it’s my first one. Every single time. As you can imagine, because of sponsors, because of the longevity that I have been in the game, I have a lot of kit, a lot of boots. Every time I receive something, I sit with a big smile on my face because I always have the same mentality that I did when I was young because I didn’t have them when I was young. So when you have it I always think, oh I must take care of them, don’t step on my trainers - that’s me. Whenever I see something new, like a new pair of boots, I’m like a kid receiving his first present."
A present of sophisticated style with punches of cool, the evoSPEED SL Leather takes the heritage of the game and mixes it around with it's "Electric Blue" colourway in a society of speed. It's all about pace; on the eyes, in your hands and most importantly on your feet. From the sidelines looking on, they look belting on the pitch and from top down as you grace the turf you'd be proud to slip 'em on.
Everyone remembers their first pair of boots. Similarly, Thierry Henry is no different – he has those emotional attachments to his first pair, just as most do. “The first pair that I actually owned, were a pair of Patrick's. Like Platini. I don’t even know if they were real. They looked real but they could have been ones that you find in a market by the bread and the meat but they looked real and Platini had them so it was cool. I remember my mum bought me a pair and they were studs. So just imagine me wearing studs on that clay…but I was happy. You know, at that time you don’t actually care - whether it was grass or not grass, when you fall and lose your skin - the ball is there and you can play football - you’re happy."
"Things have changed now, when I see some kids and they say, 'Oh the pitch is not great', I’m like, 'What?! There is grass on it, you should try and play where I used to play when I was young…' It sounds weird because I sound like an old player, saying 'they have it all' and stuff like that but it’s true. So I had to wear studs, they also weren’t in the correct size by the way, but I had them and I could play, so those were the first ones - happy memories.”
The evoSPEED SL Leather can be notched here. Should probably take the masters lead...oh and yes, yes he is one of the coolest guys around. Still.
