25.06.2007 19:09
Henry is number 13
Jesús Carrillo
Thierry Henry will become the thirteenth Frenchman to play for FC Barcelona after signing a four-year contract with the club. The very first player from France to appear for the Blaugrana was also called Henry, but it was his first name.
Of all the Frenchman to have played for Barça, Ludovic Giuly has helped the team win the most
trophies as he has two league titles and the Champions League under his belt. Christoph Dugarry had
the shortest stay of all his countrymen, as his spell at Barcelona last just six months during the
1997/98 campaign.
The Bosman Ruling
The Bosman Ruling changed the face of football across Europe and since the 1995/95
season French players were no longer considered to be foerigners. FC Barcelona have taken advantage
of this and Laurent Blanc became the first player to join in 1996/97. The central defender went on
to win the European Cup Winners' Cup, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup during his spell
at the club before leaving to play for Marseille.
Before Giuly
Until Giuly moved from Monaco to Barça, the Blaugrana brought in several other French stars.
As well as Blanc and Dugarry, Frédéric Déhu, Richard Dutruel, Emmanuel Petit and Philip Christanval
all joined the club with varying degrees of success. Giuly's move has been the most successful as
he has helped the club to win several major trophies under Frank Rijkaard during the past three
seasons.
Three Frenchman
With the arrival of Henry, the number of French players currently in the squad now totals
three as Giuly and Lilian Thuram are already here.. This is the first time in the club's history
that there have been so many.