Olimpicos: Thierry Henry and David Beckham Side by Side

Former LA Galaxy midfielder and global soccer player David Beckham announced Thursday that he will be hanging up his boots after the season ends with his current club, French side Paris Saint-Germain.

Beckham has certainly been a subject of discussion amongst soccer circles over the past few days, ranging everywhere from his impact on MLS, to his legendary status around the globe. In light of Sunday’s match against the Galaxy, the first one in recent years that doesn’t peg Beckham vs. Henry as the main attraction, we caught up with Thierry Henry after Friday’s training session to get his take on Beckham.

“Well you have to respect his career. Everywhere he went, he won so you got to respect that,” Henry said. “Then after that, like I said so many times, he came here to do a job, he went to Paris at the end, he won, went to Milan, Madrid. He was a great professional at the end of the day, we can be here talking about his whole career and everything, but why you have the respect of David is because he was a great professional, always gave his all on the field.”

The English midfielder’s storied career began with Manchester United in 1993, and included stops at Real Madrid, Milan, and Paris St.-Germain. Not to mention, a record 115 appearances for England’s national team for non-goalkeepers.

Henry shared one of his more memorable highlights from Beckham’s career that centered on the patented dead-ball accuracy that was a staple of his skillset.

“The thing you are always going to remember with David is obviously his free kicks,” Henry said. “I remember the one he sent through the English National Team when they played Greece at home in Manchester when he leveled the game with that free kick and he sent the whole country to the World Cup. I remember I was watching the game on TV and it was a great moment.”