'I love Arsenal but I had to leave – I even took a pay cut to get what I wanted'

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Arsenal icon Thierry Henry has revealed the genuine motivation behind his surprising exit from the Emirates Stadium in 2007 – and maintains it wasn't about finances. The Frenchman concluded a silverware-filled eight-year stint in north London when he departed the Gunners for Barcelona in a transfer valued at approximately £16million.

By the time of his exit, Henry had already established himself as an Arsenal legend courtesy of 226 goals in 370 matches, two Premier League crowns and a pivotal contribution to Arsene Wenger's iconic Invincibles squad. At the time, numerous fans believed the switch to Spain was money-driven, with the striker signing a four-year contract with a reported yearly wage of £4.6m.

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Yet Henry maintains something far more significant influenced his choice. The 48-year-old shared these remarks during a face-to-face conversation with Rio Ferdinand on the former Manchester United and England defender's YouTube channel .

The duo were talking about Lionel Messi when Henry unexpectedly disclosed why he departed to link up with the Argentinian genius at Barcelona nearly two decades ago. "Competing is above everything," he stated.

"I love, love, love, love, love, love Arsenal, but competing is above everything for me – especially competing in training. It is above everything and people always say, 'Ok, you love, love, love, love Arsenal, so why did you leave?' I say, 'I love my family, but I left my house.'

"Because competing is key. I didn't know if I was going to start. I was excited. I was told I wasn't going to start [...] Competing is everything – when I don't compete, I'm not the same."

Henry then revealed he accepted a wage reduction to join Barcelona, much to the astonishment of Ferdinand, who had likewise presumed that the FIFA World Cup 1998 winner had been lured by a handsome salary package from the Catalan giants.

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Following his arrival, Henry initially found consistency elusive and even admitted to the media he was missing life "back home" in England. But circumstances soon improved for the Paris-born star, who forged a lethal partnership with fellow forwards Messi and Samuel Eto'o.

The trio netted more than 100 goals combined in the 2008-09 campaign, steering Barcelona to a historic treble of La Liga , the Copa del Rey and UEFA Champions League . In total, Henry netted 49 goals for Barcelona during a three-year stint before departing to New York Red Bulls in the summer of 2010.

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