Kolkata Gears Up to Welcome French Football Great Thierry Henry

The football 'capital' of India is all set to have a date with French World Cup winner Thierry Henry, when he spends a day in Kolkata, attending a chat show with India forward Robin Singh before gracing the Indian Super League clash between Atletico de Kolkata and Mumbai City FC.

The 39-year-old Arsenal legend will touch down at 8.20 am via Dubai and will take rest before visiting a store at a city mall of a sports brand, which he endorses.

The leading French goalscorer and second-most capped player after Lilian Thuram, Henry will be seen in a captivating talk show with India international Singh, who plays for Goa and the event will be followed by a media opportunity.

Henry, who holds the French record of 51 goals in 123 internationals, will light up the Rabindra Sarobar Stadium on the sidelines of the ISL clash between Kolkata and Mumbai.

"He will watch the entire match and will also interact with the players ahead of the national anthem and sign off by attending the prize distribution ceremony," he said.

ISL chairperson Nita Ambani will also join Henry, who will head to Mumbai the next day wrapping his one-day visit to the city.

In Mumbai, Henry will attend a friendly match among Arsenal Football School and Reliance Foundation Young Champ in the afternoon.

Brazilian legend Pele had visited Kolkata in his second appearance last year, as Henry will be latest to join the elite list which has many football icons including Diego Maradona (2008), Lionel Messi (2011), Oliver Kahn (2008) among others.

Having begun his career at Monaco, Henry briefly appeared for Juventus, and also won for Barcelona but it was at Arsenal, he had his best years as one of the most feared strikers that the game has ever seen.

Joining the pantheon of modern greats, Henry won seven titles at Arsenal, among them two Premier Leagues, including the unbeaten 2003-04 side as he is their all time leading scorer with 228 goals.

The Gunners have acknowledged their 'Greatest player' by erecting a statue of Henry, on his knees celebrating a goal, outside their home ground, something that can be seen on his cover of official Twitter and Facebook handles.

From Arsenal, Henry joined Barcelona, becoming part of Pep Guardiola's side that won six major trophies two years later, including the Spanish title and a Champions League triumph over United.

Apart from the 1998 World Cup, Henry was also a part of the French team that won the 2000 European Championship title.