Thierry Henry is set to face Republic of Ireland fans this Saturday for the first time since his infamous handball in the 2009 World Cup playoff.
He'll be in the Belgian dugout alongside Anthony Barry as he's been part of Roberto Martinez' backroom staff since May 2021.
Readers hardly need reminding given it was such a massive controversy at the time but his blatant foul left a severely bitter taste as it helped send Les Bleus to South Africa at the expense of The Boys in Green.
He used his hand to control a long ball that would otherwise have drifted out of play before poking it across to William Gallas to nod home the winner of an incredibly dramatic playoff in Paris.
It was one of the biggest injustices Irish football has been involved in particularly because Giovanni Trapattoni's side had for once cast aside their dour style of play and produced one of our best ever away performances in the Parc De France.
The Arsenal legend has addressed what was the most controversial moment of an otherwise glittering career over the years.
In 2018 while speaking to Canal Plus, he admitted he apologised immediately after full-time to Ireland players on the pitch.
He said: “You are talking about people I spent so many times on the pitch with.
"I just said to them, ‘Yes, it was hand, I’m sorry.’ And you know what? They told me: ‘We don’t blame you.'
“I spoke honestly – it was a reflex. A reflex by a competitor, just like when you reach out for the ball on the line when your goalkeeper is beaten."
The 44-year-old became public enemy number one over here for the incident but maintains he was harshly judged when players such as former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi have committed similar infractions with it not seeming to stain their reputation to the same extent.
He added: “When I see Messi scoring against Espanyol, diving to touch the ball with his hand, people say, ‘What a genius, now he is closer than ever to Maradona.’
"But when it was me, it was like I had killed someone.”
The striker even had to endure death threats in the weeks afterwards.
Last year, he told the Robbie Fowler Podcast: "I was the devil. It’s OK. I accepted it. Am I proud of it? No!
"Do I get abused by the Irish fans sometimes? Yes, I do.
“It’s hard to take because this is not the type of player I am but when you have a bad instinct or reaction, it’s difficult to explain. I can’t explain it because it happens.
“This is where it becomes difficult and I’m not saying this for people to say ‘Oh my God!’ but after that, the abuse that I got – I received letters and death threats.
“My daughter had to go to school with a bodyguard for two weeks because I was scared – ‘We know where you live.’
“I was in Barcelona, don’t get me wrong, but my daughter was still here [London].
“I’m not trying to make this sound better than what it was because it happened but the impact that it has on your family sometimes, this is when it becomes difficult.”
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