 On 25 June 2007 , in an unexpected turn of events , Henry was transferred to Barcelona for € 24 million . He signed a four @-@ year deal for a reported € 6 @.@ 8 ( £ 4 @.@ 6 ) million per season . It was revealed that the contract included a release clause of € 125 ( £ 84 @.@ 9 ) million . Henry cited the departure of Dein and continued uncertainty over Wenger 's future as reasons for leaving , and maintained that " I always said that if I ever left Arsenal it would be to play for Barcelona . " Despite their captain 's departure , Arsenal got off to an impressive start for the 2007 – 08 campaign , and Henry admitted that his presence in the team might have been more of a hindrance than a help . He stated , " Because of my seniority , the fact that I was captain and my habit of screaming for the ball , they would sometimes give it to me even when I was not in the best position . So in that sense it was good for the team that I moved on . " Henry left Arsenal as the club 's leading all @-@ time league goalscorer with 174 goals and leading all @-@ time goalscorer in European competitions with 42 goals ; in July 2008 , Arsenal fans voted him as Arsenal 's greatest player ever in <unk> 's Gunners ' Greatest 50 Players poll . 
