Thierry Henry profile
Arsenal's all-time record goalscorer, Henry could hold the key to France's prospects of regaining the trophy they won on home soil in 1998.
Henry broke Ian Wright's record of 185 goals for The Gunners when he scored twice in the UEFA Champions League game against Sparta Prague in October 2005.
"Germany are light years away from having a player like him."
Franz Beckenbauer
He then went on to reach another milestone with his 200th goal for the club in the 2-0 Premiership victory at Birmingham the following February.
An unorthodox and unselfish striker with remarkable pace, Henry has been named French Player of the Year in each of the last three years, although injuries restricted his appearances during the World Cup qualifying campaign.
His sublime goal in Dublin gave France a crucial 1-0 victory over Republic of Ireland and was one of the key moments in the tense battle to win Group Two, in which France, Switzerland and Israel remained unbeaten.
Runner-up in the World Player of the Year awards in both 2003 and 2004, Henry will use the platform of the World Cup to push his claim for the top honour in 2006.
Performances such as his match-winning display for Arsenal in their 1-0 Champions League win at Real Madrid mean he will always be at the forefront of the voting, while his domestic form, which earned him the PFA Player of the Year award in 2003 and 2004, remains as consistently strong as ever.
Sadly, Henry made little impact at the last World Cup as France crashed out in the group stage without scoring a goal.
He received a straight red card early in the clash against Uruguay and missed France's game against Denmark in a tournament that was very much an anti-climax for him.
He had fared better in the 1998 World Cup, when he scored three goals in the early stages and was an unused substitute in France's final win, and Euro 2000, when he scored three goals including one in the semi-final against Portugal.
At Euro 2004, he scored twice in France's 3-1 win over Switzerland before the huge disappointment of their quarter final defeat to eventual winners Greece.
Henry attended the French academy at Clairefontaine and was introduced to the Monaco team by Arsene Wenger and helped his successor Jean Tigana win the French title in 1997.
His pace was often used on the wing by Tigana and, after joining Juventus for £11 million in 1999, his outings for the Turin club came on the left flank.
He was a surprise signing by Wenger when Nicolas Anelka left Highbury in August 1999 and was converted from a winger to a striker.
No penalty-box predator, Henry continues to drift out to the left wing and has provided dozens of assists to add to a variety of goals, with mesmerising solo runs and a series of long-range strikes the most memorable.
He reached 150 goals for Arsenal within five seasons at the club and won the Double in 2002 followed by the FA Cup the following year and The Premiership in 2004. However, he missed Arsenal's FA Cup triumph over Manchester United in 2005 after his season was cut short by injury.
Though coveted by Real Madrid and Barcelona, Henry is still considering whether to extend his current contract with Arsene Wenger's side, and is hopeful that talks will be concluded before the World Cup.
