Awards All Over the Place: Henry, Anelka, Gourcuff Take Home the Silverware

Our boys have been quite busy collecting trophies and awards in the past week or two. Let’s hope they can connect their talents next time France comes together to perform equally well for France.

First, Thierry Henry finally has a Champions League trophy! He managed to rehab his knee injury enough to play 70-ish minutes in Baracelona’s thrashing of Manchester United on Wednesday, and definitely helped them get the job done.

From Henry:

You always remember winners, that’s the difference. You can play good football, pass the ball well but unless you win silverware sometimes it doesn’t count.”

This one counts, as do the league title and the Copa del Rey trophy, which make Barcelona the first Spanish team ever to win the treble. (And didn’t Arsene Wenger say, after Henry left Arsenal, that Arsenal had done scientific motion studies that showed Henry was over the hill, making it safe to let him go? Who do you think is eating his words these days? Well done, Titi!)

This has to be a little bittersweet for Eric Abidal, though, who was suspended for the final due to what many have described as a shameless dive by compatriot Nicolas Anelka in the semis. Abidal played a big role in the team’s success this season, though, so let’s hope he’s able to enjoy it.

Second award, and just as fun, Nicolas Anelka picked up the EPL’s Golden Boot as the top goal-scorer in the league for the season. Granted, it was with 19 goals rather than Cristiano Ronaldo’s 31 from last year. But given that Anelka was played out of position on the wing for much of the season, this still has to feel pretty sweet. Watch this (unfortunately not embeddable) video. Hard to tell with Anelka, but I think you’ll actually see some joy there.

From Nico:

“In the last game I was thinking about it, but I stayed focused and had the chance to make this shot and it is good because it is a goal so I am very pleased.”

Longtime fans of this blog know how desperately I’ve wanted to see Anelka reach his potential before his body gave out and he had to retire. (He turned thirty this year, so there isn’t ‘t a whole lot of time left.) I have always thought that there was a lot more to the guy than his “Sulk” reputation, and I’m glad he finally has a trophy that proves me right.

And last but not least, I know it’s been a little difficult for Lyon supporters to watch their title hopes disappear this year, but for neutrals like me it’s been great to see the talent spread out a bit. And nowhere has this been more true than at Bordeaux, where Yoann Gourcuff has made the game his own. (Good news, too! He’ll be staying in Bordeaux, having just signed a four-year deal with les Girondins. This is excellent news for the future of the game in France.)

France recognized his contributions recently by giving him the Player of the Year Award, as well as the goal of the year for his sweet little dance-and-shoot number against PSG. Video of both awards is here. (If you’re a French speaker, you’ll enjoy Gourcuff’s tribute to Zidane. If you’re not, just appreciate the visuals.)

So…yeah. Zidane and Gourcuff on the same stage. I’m thinking they must have had to edit out spontaneous combustion.

And by that I of course mean: Well done, boys! Now put it to work for your country!