HARRISON, N.J. — Thierry Henry is leaving Major League Soccer after 4½ seasons, unable to lead the New York Red Bulls to the team's first championship.
The 37-year-old French star made the announcement Monday, two days after the Red Bulls lost the Eastern Conference final to the New England Revolution. And he said he made the decision back in 2010 to leave when his contract expired.
"I am taking this opportunity to announce that unfortunately Saturday was my last game for the New York Red Bulls," Henry said in a statement released by the team Monday. "The decision has always been that I would leave after the duration of my contract, and although that was never going to change, I didn't want it to distract from the progress of the team."
With Landon Donovan retiring after the Los Angeles Galaxy play New England in the MLS Cup final Sunday, the league is losing arguably its two biggest stars.
A former Arsenal and Barcelona standout, Henry did not say whether he's retiring or intends to play elsewhere. He plans to take a few weeks to decide what to do next.
He speaks English, French and Spanish, also could turn his career to television and be a soccer analyst.
Henry joined the Red Bulls from Barcelona after the 2010 World Cup. He had a $3.75 million salary this year and $4.35 million in overall compensation,
"Thierry Henry, an icon of the world's game, has been a wonderful player for the New York Red Bulls and a major influence on the development of MLS," Red Bulls sporting director Andy Roxburgh said..
