According to reports, Thierry Henry has repeatedly praised his compatriot Kylian Mbappe. The French legend identifies with Mbappe to the point of empathy. Just as Mbappe joined Real Madrid last summer with great fanfare and faced immense pressure to prove himself, Henry experienced similar challenges when he left Arsenal after years of exceptional performances to join Barcelona under Pep Guardiola.

Ahead of tonight’s match between Arsenal and Real Madrid, Henry once again praised Mbappe: “When we talk about Kylian, we’re talking about a monster. Someone the whole world envies.”

Thierry Henry, who was by far Arsenal’s biggest star, joined a Barcelona team filled with superstars like Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, and Eto’o. He recalls: “On my first day in Barcelona’s locker room, I didn’t dare look Messi in the eye. I had built such an image of him in my mind that I couldn’t believe I was standing next to him.” Mbappe, after joining Real Madrid, didn’t face a rival of Messi’s caliber but had to compete with Vinicius Junior.

The admiration between Thierry Henry and Mbappe is mutual. During the first leg between Real Madrid and Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, an image was shared showing Henry warmly embracing and chatting with Mbappe while the latter was warming up with his teammates.

Ahead of tonight’s match, Thierry Henry made interesting comments about Mbappe: “I love Mbappe and respect him greatly. But tonight, he’s playing against the team I love more than anything: Arsenal. I can’t wish him ill, but if I see him, I’ll say tonight is different—I don’t want to see you.”

On the other hand, Mbappe will try to replicate Thierry Henry’s extraordinary performance at the Bernabeu tonight—with the difference that Mbappe aims to overturn Real’s 3-0 first-leg defeat. Henry’s stunning display in 2006, when Arsenal visited Real in the Champions League round of 16, remains unforgettable for football fans. Arsenal, under Wenger, won 1-0 at the Bernabeu thanks to Henry’s 47th-minute goal. Even Real fans still talk about Henry’s brilliance that night, saying he played the game of his life and did as he pleased. Now, Mbappe wants to recreate that memory—but this time for Real Madrid, overturning the 3-0 deficit to advance to the semifinals.