FCBARCELONA.CAT

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.