Two Premier League titles, three FA Cup wins, 228 goals and regarded by many as the greatest player to wear an Arsenal shirt. But, despite all of that, there is one thing blocking Thierry Henry becoming the Gunners' new Under-18 assistant manager - his media career.
As first exclusively revealed by Goal in June, Henry was set to continue his work alongside Arsenal's youngsters by taking up an assistant role with the Under-18 squad. Several options were tabled by academy chief Andries Jonker to accommodate Henry's busy schedule, including a reduction from four days to a one-day-a-week role.
Current Under-18 head coach Kwame Ampadu, whose 16-year-old son Ethan has been extensively scouted by Manchester United, is a highly respected figure at the club after joining from Exeter City in 2012 and supported Henry's coaching ambitions during his spell at the academy's Hale End base.
However, Arsenal have since revoked their offer for Henry to come on board with Arsene Wenger informing his compatriot that he would not be able to combine his punditry role at Sky with a coaching role.
Having previously angered Wenger with comments about Olivier Giroud - insisting the Gunners "will never win the league" with the Giroud as the club's main striker - Henry also claimed that he had "never seen the Arsenal fans so unhappy" last season as protests over the management and ownership of the north London giants made headlines.
Henry has spent the past month working as a Euro 2016 pundit for the BBC and burst out laughing when it was suggested that France striker Giroud showed a lack of pace during a one-on-one opportunity against Germany.
But should Henry really be welcomed on board the coaching staff at Arsenal when he has previously criticised and singled out players for bad performances?
Henry's comments are usually more reserved than his Sky colleagues, most likely due to his relationship with his former club, but how pragmatic would it be to have that kind of conflict of interest during another key season for Arsenal?
Mikel Arteta, Patrick Vieira and David Platt have already taken up coaching roles at Manchester City after being overlooked by Arsenal, but this need to 'repay' club legends by giving them cherry-picked roles within months of getting their coaching badges is getting ridiculous. If you're a talented coach who has can give the majority of your time, talent and determination to succeed in the top flight you will eventually get your break.
Others have been quick to claim that Wenger is a hypocrite due to his own media duties with beIN Sports at Euro 2016, although the 66-year-old's punditry work is only ever during Arsenal's off-season and not on a weekly - if not more regular - basis in a competition his side are competiting in. Wenger also refrains from talking about his club and it's a rare occurrence to even hear him mention his management role while assessing teams or players.
This role has nothing to do with financial benefits. Tony Adams is set to fill Henry's boots next season after gaining a significant amount of experience at the likes of Portsmouth and Azerbaijani team Kabala. He will earn a nominal fee, as will Freddie Ljungberg who is set to take up a role with the Under-16 side and has shied away from media work since an expletive-sprinkled showing on Match of the Day 2 in 2012.
It was a simple choice for Henry. Tear up a £4m-a-year contract where he is the face of the biggest broadcaster in England or work his way up from the bottom at the club for free. Wenger's ultimatum shows that he has the club's best interests at heart even if another former player could miss out on a return.
r />Recommended article from FiveFilters.org: Most Labour MPs in the UK Are Revolting.
- Goal