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Dream Team

Thierry Henry


When Thierry Henry heard that Spain coach Luis Aragones had made insulting racist remarks about him, he decided enough was enough.

He and his team-mate Patrick Vieira had had a lot of abuse from fans while playing for Arsenal in Spain, Italy and eastern Europe. He contacted Nike and together they developed the 'Stand up, speak up' campaign. Video adverts were made in which Bundesliga professionals Otto Addo and Christoph Metzelder were also given their say.

Teams played in a special black-and-white kit to spread the campaign message and millions of people bought 'Stand up, speak up' wristbands. The profits went to projects that work against racism in and around football. Henry wishes to help strengthen moral courage and make the stadium a more attractive place for fans with migrant backgrounds.

He grew up in the tough Paris suburb of Les Ulis as the child of immigrants from Guadeloupe and Martinique. His father took him to the local club at an early age, saying: "One day the boy will play for France." When he was 13 Henry scored all six goals in a match and was signed by AS Monaco while still on the pitch. Since then he has won just about everything there is to be won, be it at club or at international level.