Thierry Henry praises Spain’s World Cup 2026 triumph and says Barcelona ‘strike fear’

Thierry Henry says Spain were deserving winners of the 2026 World Cup after beating Argentina, praising the team’s collective identity and ability to control matches both with and without the ball.

The former Arsenal and Barcelona star was speaking to AS in an interview reported by Sport, where he reflected on Spain’s success and his own difficult record against them in major fixtures.

“As you know, I lost to Spain in all the big matches,” Henry said. “I will not name all the players, but I saw it, and we have all seen it repeatedly. I always say the same thing: their way of working, their identity, their philosophy and the way they place the team above individual talent have now brought them their reward.”

He added: “The best team won the World Cup, and nobody can say otherwise. It was an exceptional lesson.”

Henry also described the helplessness players can feel when they are forced to chase possession against Spain.

“There is something that always surprises me when we talk about Spain,” he said. “People say that if you play against Spain, you have to do this or that. But when you do not have the ball, you have to play football without it. So how can you do that against a team like this?

“There were many aspects to the tournament, but Spain imposed their control with the ball and without it. It is wonderful to watch them play.”

The Frenchman said Spain were the only side he never wanted to face because of the problems they caused his teams.

“Honestly, Spain were the only team I did not want to play against because they are extremely difficult, and we always struggled against them,” he said.

Henry believes the principles of the Spain team managed by Luis de la Fuente are the same as those that guided the national side to the 2010 World Cup title.

“Perhaps people previously looked at the team that included Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets, Puyol and Ramos and thought they had to win simply because of the players they had,” Henry said.

“They did not realise that it was also a team. Perhaps people are now more aware of the value of collective work because the current names do not have the same media profile, but the essence is the same.”

Asked to name the best team in the world during the first month of the current season, Henry initially tried to avoid making a definitive choice. He eventually selected Barcelona.

“The best team at the moment can change, which is why I do not particularly like answering this question,” he said. “We are only talking about the present. Think about Paris Saint-Germain last season: at the beginning, nobody would have said they would win the Champions League, and then they did. Everything changes.

“Even so, it must be acknowledged that Barcelona are currently striking fear.”