Henry in secret deal to join Barcelona, Spanish paper says

ARSENAL striker Thierry Henry has reached a verbal agreement with Barcelona to join the Spanish champions next season, Catalonian newspaper Sport reported yesterday.

The headline read: “Henry will come in July,” and the Barcelona based newspaper added there was a “90% chance that Henry would be wearing Barca colours next season.”

Henry’s move, the paper said, was based on Barcelona having the squad to win the Champions League, the only major title to have eluded him.

The paper emphasised that neither Henry nor Barcelona would make the news official (before the end of the season) and that the player would continue to negotiate a contract extension at Arsenal.

Henry has continually stressed his commitment to Arsenal since arriving in 1999. But he wants to be sure the club can be competitive at the highest level in both England and Europe before signing a new deal, perhaps the last major one of his career.

Meanwhile UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan yesterday met with the boss of an even bigger global body, paying homage to FIFA head Sepp Blatter and praising football’s role as a uniting force.

Annan, who steers the 191-country UN, received red carpet treatment as he paid the first-ever visit by its leader to FIFA.

The Zurich-based governing body, which has 207 member associations, is sometimes nicknamed the “United Nations of Football.”

“Sport, and especially football, is a very strong catalyser, bringing people together for 90 minutes to forget their differences,” Annan said after meeting with Blatter.

Annan said that, like Blatter, he used to play as winger and as a centre forward when he was a youngster.

“That’s why we understand each other so well,” he said.

He also said that when he first became secretary-general in 1997, he tried to build his team of UN staff along the lines of a football squad, putting the most talented people in key posts.

Asked if he if supported a particular team, Annan, who hails from Ghana, said: “I like the way the Brazilians play.”

He also said he enjoys watching women’s football, thanks to its more fluid play. “Women players should be paid as much as men,” he said.

Annan’s FIFA visit was his second sport-themed stop after he earlier visited the Lausanne headquarters of the International Olympic Committee.