SOCCER: Thierry Henry's move to BarcelonaTwo giant screens showed Thierry Henry's best moments for Arsenal and France as Fatboy Slim's Right Here Right Now thumped through the packed Paris Room, just across the Camp Nou concourse from the 98,000-seat stadium that is his new footballing home.

Right here, perhaps, but not right now. There was still over an hour to go before Henry appeared, still longer before he would pull on the Blaugrana for the first time and perform on the pitch. And yet through the window you could see them already, a steady stream of supporters in a solid line, thousands making their way into the stadium.

When Henry emerged from the tunnel 90 minutes later there were 25,000 of them chanting his name.

"I could never have imagined a reception like this," he said. "It's true what they say: Barcelona is more than a club."

And this was more than a presentation, topped with the Frenchman at the mic declaring in Catalan: "I am very happy to be playing for Barca."

If anyone thought Henry's arrival in Catalunya was going to be low-key they were wrong. For Barcelona this was a big day, some much-needed good news after a season in which they finished empty-handed.

The president, Joan Laporta, confirmed that Henry had cost €24 million and had a four-year deal with a buy-out clause that stands at €125 million. Henry, for his part, insisted there had been no contact with Internazionale: "I always said that I would only ever leave Arsenal for Barcelona."

It had all started when Henry, wearing a string vest and giving the thumbs-up, appeared on the club's webpage under the headline "Everything's fine", his two-hour medical having found no sign of the sciatica that ruined last season for him. Later he claimed the year's prolonged inactivity meant he would be fresh.

Besides, nothing would be allowed to ruin the event. The Paris Room, appropriately chosen for one of the city's most famous sons, had not been used to present players since the arrival of Ronaldinho four years ago - even Samuel Eto'o was not given a welcome like this.

The late hour, too, spoke volumes about the desire to pack the stands, to make a statement. Here was an opportunity to wrest the initiative back from league champions Real Madrid. When Henry went to sit before the press Laporta pushed his chair back under the desk with a smile, forcing him to stand for photos.

The choreography failed only on the shirts: Barcelona unveiled their new strip yesterday before presenting it to Henry but it will not be available to buy until July, preventing fans from cashing in on the early enthusiasm for his number 14 shirt. That was the number worn by Johan Cruyff but Henry insisted it was coincidence. "No disrespect," he added, "because I could talk about Cruyff all night."

He was politeness personified, especially toward Arsenal, of which Laporta also spoke as a "dignified, great" club "worthy of deep respect". As for Barca, Henry returned repeatedly to the theme that he was here to be a team player, not a star.

That was a vital message after a season in which Barcelona have largely come unstuck because of the fractiousness of a dressingroom packed with supersize egos.

In Catalunya the greatest question mark concerns Henry's ability to play with Eto'o, Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho. How, Catalans wonder, will he interact with the notoriously volatile, jealous Eto'o?

"I speak with Samuel Eto'o all the time because we are friends," Henry said. "I am friends with Samuel, (Ludovic) Giuly, Lilian (Thuram), a lot of players. We have known each other for a long time. I have known Samuel since he was at (Real) Mallorca. He came to see me when I was injured."

Henry hinted at a difficult future for his former club. He had already claimed Arsene Wenger's failure to commit his long-term future to Arsenal was a key part of his own decision to leave the Emirates.

Pushed on that subject, he replied: "I can only go with what he has said to me. He said he is going to see out his contract. After that I would like him to stay there because it is important for the club. If he was to leave it would be difficult for them."

Could that lead to Henry and Wenger being reunited at Camp Nou? There was that Henry grin and a quick response. "He's the man to ask, not me," he said, pointing at Laporta. The president smiled back, called Wenger a great coach but added: "But for us Frank (Rijkaard) is the best."

Not for Henry. "The relationship I had with Wenger was out of this world," he said. "You really can't imagine. I talked to him about everything, even private stuff, about anything, anything. When we spoke about me joining Barcelona we didn't fight, he didn't throw anything around the room, we just talked and we both respected each other. Our relationship has not ended with me saying I am coming here. It is beyond that. It will always remain."

And with that he strolled across to the stadium, where 25,000 new supporters awaited.

Surgeon warns of Henry's fitness

A surgeon who has worked on Thierry Henry says it will be more difficult than ever for him to stay free of injury.

Professor Nic Maffulli, a London-based specialist, treated Henry for an Achilles' problem last year and believes Barcelona have taken a risk.

"His problem after the World Cup was the lower back. It is a scientific fact that once you have something you are always more likely to get it again," he said.

"Around 80 per cent of normal people will have back pain and of those 20 per cent will experience a recurrence. For an athlete the risks are greater."

But he believes Henry may be helped by more advanced medical facilities at Barca, less pressure to play every game and the climate.