That was six years ago in Copenhagen, after the Uefa Cup Final, from which his players emerged from a defeat on penalties by Galatasaray vowed to a monastic silence.

The tone was set, as always, by Tony Adams. It was not so on Wednesday. Such was the outpouring of indignation from the Arsenal camp, some were almost in need of a restraining order, and particularly Adams' modern-day counterpart.

It was, at that moment, even accepting the vehemence of his emotions, which were manifestly shot through, that you sensed Thierry Henry would not be Nou Camp-bound. Could a man deliver this verdict about his opponents, in the knowledge that he may soon be amongst their number?

"I'm more than proud, " Henry said of his team. "We can say that against the best team in Europe we can play good football, even with 10 men. It was a team who outplayed the other team and made them look just ordinary.

I'm sorry, but tonight they looked, to me, really ordinary.

He stressed that final word almost contemptuously.

The reality was that he was no longer speaking as one of the world's most fabulouslyendowed and wealthiest professional footballers; he was talking like an embittered fan.

The man whose off-field style can epitomise French chic, was imploring us to watch reruns of the contest. It was like listening to an inebriated punter back in an Islington local.

A day later, his explanation for pledging his re-allegiance to the manager, the chairman David Dein, and club that had raised him from anonymity to where he stands astride world football today confirmed that impression offered the night before. Arsenal had finally pinned down one of the world's most exotic butterflies. "There are so many things about why I decided to stay, " the striker explained. "Mr Dein, Arsene, the club, the fans. I just thought I could not let them down. I could not face leaving the fans. They are like my family."

It is a courageous decision, that four-year pledge of faith.

Next season, Arsenal's quest for the title they last claimed in 2004 will never be more fiercely contested. This season, Wenger's men effectively sacrificed their interest in domestic affairs on the altar of Champions League glory, and, for an hour after Jens Lehmann had departed the hostilities, that appeared an admirable trade of priorities, only for Samuel Eto'o and Juliano Belletti to inflict fatal damage. The vanquished forces promise they will regroup and return. Yet, in reality, the prospects of Arsenal progressing to such a rarefied atmosphere again are not propitious.

In comparison, Barcelona represent a tantalising promise of instant gratification within what is not so much a football team as an institution;

hence the vast yellow flag that rolled down, enveloping much of the end occupied by Barca followers before Wednesday's Final, carried the words:

"Mes Que Un Club". More than a club.

As he surveyed the euphoric scenes at the end, Henry would not have dismissed their overtures to him lightly, any more than Cruyff, Maradona, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, and, most recently Ronadinho, had received when they were seduced. Then maybe he would have considered his predecessor as captain and close friend Patrick Vieira, and reminded himself that a move to a supposed leviathan of European football does not necessarily confer consequent success for the individual.

Yet, it will almost certainly have been the words of Dein, that master manipulator, which lanced that final boil of uncertainty. "I am sure Thierry weighed up his decision very carefully, " said the Arsenal vice-chairman.

"Maybe he thought about whether he wanted to take a chance somewhere else or maybe he wondered if his [English] wife [Claire, mother of his daughter, Tea] would be happy away from London."

Dein added: "I said to him that he was the King of Highbury, but that he might only be a prince somewhere else.

Maybe he would have gone on to be a king somewhere else as well, but at Barcelona, for example, there are many great players already, like Ronaldinho, Eto'o and Guily."

What Arsenal have re-hired is not simply a man who performs ballet on turf, one who induces exhalations of appreciation and applause even from within rival followers, and is potentially a 30-a-year man . . . goals that is . . . he is also talent bait. Not only could he discourage some teammates from departing, he may also encourage Wenger's attempts to reel in some significant additions. For all the virtues of young players like Cesc Fabregas, Kolo Toure, Emmanuel Aboue, Robin van Persie, Wenger must acquire reinforcements.

"This is a massive, massive signing for the club and I think it sends the right message to the existing team, " said Dein of the 29-year-old. "They will see that Thierry Henry is here, and we have the ambition to keep our best players and win everything we can. It would have been a massive blow if he had left the club."

And, it must be said, it would have done grievous harm to the Premiership.

In a curious way, maybe Wednesday's events made the decision more, not less, clearcut for him. Had Henry not spurned that 70th minute opportunity of placing the final beyond Barcelona when he eluded their rearguard but whose fatigued attempt found only the arms of a relieved goalkeeper Victor Valdes, you suspect he may have perceived matters somewhat differently. In his seven years, he would have achieved it all at Highbury: Premierships, FA Cups and now the pinnacle of his European aspirations. They way things transpired, it leaves him with an ambition unfulfilled.

It is also not inconceivable that Henry believes he still owes a debt to Gunners' faithful, even after scoring 214 goals in 341 games for Arsenal. To be brutal, his missed chance was the defining moment;

arguably even more so than Lehmann's dismissal, the subject of much derision by the Arsenal faithful as they made their way home, although the observation "Who's the Barca in the black?" was by far the wittiest part, if a slight overstatement, of their case.

Certainly, it's debatable whether there would have been any way back for Barcelona had Henry capitalised. "I was tired, " he had protested after the game. "I have never been so tired after a game." Henry added: "You've seen me playing for a very long time in England, and I'm sure you haven't see me running like I ran tonight, and defend like I did defend, and trying to work hard and be a good captain. I was on my way to do something special with the team. To lose it because someone didn't see an offside decision [Barcelona's first goal, which was marginal], I'm sorry, but it's hard to take."

Nobody could bring themselves to suggest to him that, just maybe, his heart was dominating the head. . . just as it was when he finally said "oui" to Dein and Wenger a few hours later.