France legend: Barcelona strike fear, and this matter surprises me with Spain
Thierry Henry has heaped praise on Spain after they beat Argentina to lift the 2026 World Cup.
The Sport newspaper ran the former France star's comments from an interview with "AS", where he insisted the Matadors' triumph was fully deserved.
"As you know, I lost to Spain in all the big matches," Henry said. "I won't mention the names of all the players, but I saw it, and we all always saw it. I keep saying it: their way of working, their identity, their philosophy, and placing the value of the team above individuals, all of that has given them the reward now."
He went on: "The best team won the World Cup, and no one can say otherwise. It was an exceptional lesson."
Henry also spoke about the helplessness a player feels chasing the ball against Spain.
"There is something that always surprises me when we talk about Spain, which is that people say if you play against Spain, you have to do this or that," he explained. "But when you don't have the ball, you have to play football without it. So, how can you do that against a team like this? There were many things in the tournament, but Spain imposed its control with the ball and without it. It's wonderful to watch them play."
He added: "In fact, Spain was the only team I did not want to face, because they are extremely difficult, and we always struggled against them."
For the former Arsenal and Barcelona forward, the essence of Luis de la Fuente's side mirrors that of the Spain team that won the 2010 World Cup.
"Perhaps people in the past could have said, with that team which included Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets, Puyol and Ramos, they should win as a matter of course," he said. "They did not realise that this too was a team. Perhaps people are now more aware of the value of collective work, because the current names are not as famous in the media, but the essence is the same."
Asked at the end of the interview to name the best team in the world in the opening month of the season, Henry tried to sidestep the question before settling on Barcelona. "The best team at the moment can change, and that's why I don't much like answering this question," he said. "We are only talking about the present moment. Think about Paris Saint-Germain last season: at the start, no one would have said they would win the Champions League, and then they won it. Everything changes."
He concluded: "Nevertheless, it must be acknowledged that Barcelona, at the moment, are terrifying."
