"He's got that special something": Thierry Henry is impressed by a German international

Henry was referring, among other things, to what remains the most important goal of the DFB star's career. In the 2021 Champions League final, Havertz, then still with Chelsea FC, netted the decisive goal to secure a 1-0 win over Manchester City. Six months later he delivered again, converting a late penalty in extra time of the Club World Cup final against Palmeiras to clinch a 2-1 victory and the global crown for the Blues.

Since his £75 million move from Chelsea to Arsenal in 2023, Havertz has continued to deliver when it matters. He netted the late 1-0 winner in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final at Sporting Lisbon in early April, a result that proved decisive after the second leg finished 0-0. More recently, his late winner in the 1-0 defeat of Burnley on the penultimate Premier League weekend proved decisive as Manchester City faltered the next day, handing Arsenal their first English league title in 22 years.

For the DFB side, with whom he will contest this summer's World Cup and is likely to secure a starting berth under national coach Julian Nagelsmann, Havertz also delivered a crucial goal at the 2024 European Championship on home soil, netting the opening penalty in the 2-0 round-of-16 win over Denmark to break the deadlock.

"Manager Mikel Arteta said it himself: they missed Kai because he helps with the transition and is strong in pressing," said Henry, explaining which of Havertz's qualities the Londoners sorely missed during his long spell on the sidelines. The 26-year-old played only a handful of matches between February 2025 and January 2026 because of injury; after another brief setback, Havertz has been gradually working his way back to full sharpness since the start of March.

"He constantly applies pressure and reads the game exceptionally well; his footballing IQ is off the charts. He uses his brain, which lets him slot into several roles," Henry said, underlining the German's value to Arsenal's play. "Hopefully Havertz can now stay injury-free for a while."

Henry also pins his hopes for the Champions League final against PSG—kicking off at 6 pm this year—on the German playmaker. Commentating on the match as a TV pundit for US broadcaster CBS will be "terrible for me, because I'm a fan and we've never won the title," admitted the former world-class striker, who scored 228 goals in 377 appearances for Arsenal between 1999 and 2007, plus during a brief return in 2012.

"I obviously hope they win. The team has the chance to go down in history as 'The Unforgettable Ones', because we've never won this title at Arsenal," Henry said, looking ahead. The 48-year-old Frenchman was right at the heart of the action the one time the Gunners came close to lifting the trophy for the first time.

Thanks in part to Henry's goals, Arsenal reached the 2005/06 Champions League final against FC Barcelona in Paris. Despite going down to ten men early on after goalkeeper Jens Lehmann was sent off in the 18th minute, the Gunners took the lead in the 37th minute. Defender Sol Campbell had nodded in a header from Henry's free-kick.

Yet the dream remained unfulfilled: Samuel Eto'o and Juliano Belletti struck in the final 15 minutes to hand Barca a 2-1 victory.