Rico Henry

Last updated

Rico Henry
Rico Henry, Walsall FC footballer, Bescot Stadium, September 2015.jpg
Henry playing for Walsall in 2015
Personal information
Full name Rico Antonio Henry [1]
Date of birth (1997-07-08) 8 July 1997 (age 27) [2]
Place of birth Birmingham, England
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) [3]
Position(s) Left-back [4]
Team information
Current team
 Brentford
Number 3
Youth career
Cadbury Athletic
0000–2014 Walsall
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2014–2016 Walsall 46 (2)
2016– Brentford 186 (5)
International career
2015–2016 England U19 4 (0)
2017 England U20 3 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14:17, 4 October 2024 (UTC)

Rico Antonio Henry (born 8 July 1997) is an English professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Premier League club Brentford. He is a product of the Walsall academy and began his senior career with the club. Henry transferred to Brentford in 2016 and passed 200 appearances for the club in August 2023. [5] He represented England at U19 and U20 level.

Contents

Club career

Walsall

After a spell with Cadbury Athletic and failing a trial with Aston Villa, [6] [7] Henry joined Walsall at age 11 and at age 14 he was converted from a central midfielder to a left back. [8] [9] He progressed through the youth ranks to make his first non-competitive senior appearance for the club shortly after his 16th birthday, in a pre-season friendly versus Leeds United in July 2013. [8] One year later, he signed his first professional contract after impressing for the club's youth team. [10] Henry received his maiden calls into the first team squad for two League One matches in September and October 2014 respectively, [11] before making his competitive debut with a start in a Football League Trophy northern area semi-final shootout win over Tranmere Rovers on 9 December. [12] He made his league debut four days later, playing the full 90 minutes of a 3–1 victory over Barnsley. [12] Henry made eight further appearances during the 2014–15 season, [12] but his progress was disrupted by a dislocated shoulder. [13] He signed a two-year contract extension in April 2015 and was named as Walsall's Young Player of the Year. [14] [15]

Henry broke into the starting line-up on a full-time basis during the 2015–16 season. [16] He had a successful season, making 44 appearances, scoring three goals, signing a new three-year contract and winning England youth international recognition. [16] [17] Walsall consistently challenged for promotion during the season and finished in third position to qualify for a place in the 2016 League One play-offs, [18] but Henry's season ended with a 6–1 aggregate defeat to the eventually-promoted club Barnsley in the semi-finals. [16] He was recognised for his performances during the season, winning the September 2015 Football League Young Player of the Month award, [19] in addition to being named in the League One PFA Team of the Year and receiving a nomination for the Football League Young Player of the Year award. [20]

Henry made three early-2016–17 season appearances, [21] [16] before suffering a dislocation to the same shoulder previously injured in February 2015 after half an hour of 0–0 draw with Oldham Athletic on 13 August 2016. [13] The Oldham appearance proved to be Henry's last for Walsall and he departed the Bescot Stadium on 31 August. [22] He made 57 appearances and scored three goals for the club. [23]

Brentford

On 31 August 2016, Henry signed for Championship club Brentford for an initial fee of £1.5m on a five-year contract, [24] rising to £5 million. [22] The transfer reunited Henry with former Walsall manager Dean Smith and the fee made him the Bees' record transfer fee paid for a teenager. [24] He underwent surgery on the dislocated shoulder on 8 September and after returning to fitness, he made his first Brentford appearance on 21 February 2017, [25] with a start in a 2–1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday. [26] He immediately replaced Tom Field as head coach Dean Smith's first-choice left-back and made 12 appearances before his season was ended by a knee injury suffered in training in early May 2017. [26] [27]

Henry returned fit for the start of the 2017–18 season, [28] but his season was ended on his eighth appearance by an anterior cruciate ligament injury suffered in a 2–2 draw with Middlesbrough on 30 September 2017, [9] which required surgery. [29] Henry returned to full-contact training in October 2018 and on 24 November, [30] he made his first appearance for nearly 14 months, coincidentally against Middlesbrough, with a late substitute appearance in a 2–1 defeat. [31] He scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1 win over Stoke City on 12 January 2019 and his performances throughout the month led to his nomination for the PFA Fans' Player of the Month award. [32] A foot injury suffered in February saw Henry miss two months of the season and he finished an injury-affected campaign with 16 appearances and one goal. [31] [33]

Henry began the 2019–20 season fully fit and signed a new four-year contract in August 2019. [34] He made a career-high 51 appearances during the season, which culminated in defeat in the 2020 Championship play-off final. [35] By the time Henry's 2020–21 season was disrupted by a torn hamstring suffered in February 2021, [9] he had appeared in all but one league match so far during the campaign. [36] Henry returned for the end-of-season playoffs, but after making a substitute cameo in the semi-final first leg versus AFC Bournemouth, [36] he was ruled out for the remainder of the season with a meniscus tear. [9] In his absence, Brentford were promoted to the Premier League with victory in the 2021 Championship play-off final. [37] In recognition of his performances during the 2020–21 season, Henry was named in the PFA Championship Team of the Year. [38]

Henry began the 2021–22 Premier League season as an ever-present at left wing back and he scored in successive league matches in November 2021, [39] which doubled his goalscoring tally for the club. [23] In March 2022, Henry signed a new four-year contract, with the option of a further year and finished a mid-table 2021–22 season with 37 appearances and three goals. [39] [40] [41] He improved his appearance tally to 39 appearances in all competitions during the 2022–23 season. [42]

Henry started the 2023–24 as an ever-present in league matches, but he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury on his fifth appearance, [43] [44] in a 1–0 defeat to Newcastle United on 16 September 2023. [45] He returned to full training in August 2024, [46] but a "minor setback" the following month put his return to full training back to 4 October 2024. [47] [48]

International career

While an U12, Henry was a member of the England team that competed at the 2008 Danone Nations Cup. [6] On 10 November 2015, Henry received his first call-up to the England U19 squad for friendly matches against the Netherlands and Japan. [49] He won four caps at U19 level. [50] Henry was named in England's U20 squad for the 2017 Four Nations Tournament and appeared in all three matches as the Young Lions won the competition. [51] Henry was named in the England squad for the 2017 U20 World Cup, but was forced to withdraw due to injury. [52]

Style of play

Henry has been described as "a forward-thinking, modern-day full-back, with energy, pace and a keen defensive awareness". [53]

Personal life

Henry was born in Birmingham, West Midlands and watched both Aston Villa and Birmingham City as a youth. [7] [54] He attended St George's Church of England Primary School and Lordswood Boys' School in Birmingham. [6]

Career statistics

As of match played 16 September 2023
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeague FA Cup League Cup OtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Walsall 2014–15 [12] League One 9000001 [lower-alpha 1] 0100
2015–16 [16] League One35240312 [lower-alpha 2] 0443
2016–17 [26] League One20—100030
Total462404130573
Brentford 2016–17 [26] Championship 12000——120
2017–18 [28] Championship800000—80
2018–19 [31] Championship1412000—161
2019–20 [35] Championship46010103 [lower-alpha 3] 0510
2020–21 [36] Championship30100401 [lower-alpha 3] 0351
2021–22 [39] Premier League 3431020—373
2022–23 [42] Premier League3701010—390
2023–24 [45] Premier League500000—50
Total18655080402035
Career total232790121702608

Honours

England U20

Individual

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References

  1. ↑ "Rico Antonio Henry". L'Union (in French). Rossel La Voix. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
  2. ↑ "Rico Henry". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  3. ↑ "Rico Henry". Brentford F.C. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  4. ↑ "Rico Henry". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
  5. ↑ @BrentfordFC (19 August 2023). "A 2️⃣0️⃣0️⃣th Bees appearance for @ricohenry14 today 🙌" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  6. 1 2 3 Clarke, Roger (2 September 2008). "Schoolboy Rico Henry has the world at his feet". BirminghamLive. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  7. 1 2 Marshall, Sam. "Rico Henry: Mr. Consistent". www.brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  8. 1 2 Brett, Ciaran (31 August 2016). "Get to know: Rico Henry". Brentford F.C. Archived from the original on 27 March 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Weinfuss, Josh (9 September 2021). "Henry's long, painful road to the Premier League reflected in Brentford's promotion journey". ESPN. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  10. ↑ "PRO DEAL FOR TALENTED YOUNGSTER". Walsall F.C. 30 July 2014. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  11. ↑ "Rico Henry Player Profile". ESPN FC. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
  12. 1 2 3 4 "Games played by Rico Henry in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
  13. 1 2 "Rico Henry's Walsall injury fate to be revealed today". Express & Star. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
  14. ↑ Poole, Andrew. "NEW DEAL FOR RISING STAR". Walsall F.C. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
  15. 1 2 Poole, Andrew. "HOORAY FOR HENRY". Walsall F.C. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 "Games played by Rico Henry in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
  17. ↑ Briggs, Daniel. "Rico Henry Signs New Contract". Walsall F.C. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
  18. ↑ "Walsall results for the 2015–2016 season". Statto Organisation. Archived from the original on 26 April 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
  19. 1 2 Briggs, Daniel. "Rico Henry – Football League Young Player of the Month". Walsall F.C. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
  20. ↑ "Leeds United's Lewis Cook named Football League Young Player of the Year". The Football League. 17 April 2016. Archived from the original on 7 May 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  21. 1 2 "PFA awards: Leicester and Spurs dominate Premier League team". BBC Sport. 21 April 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  22. 1 2 Moon, Dale. "CLUB STATEMENT: RICO HENRY". Walsall F.C. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
  23. 1 2 Rico Henry at Soccerbase OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  24. 1 2 "Brentford sign England Youth International Rico Henry from Walsall on a five-year contract". Brentford F.C. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
  25. ↑ "Brentford defender Rico Henry undergoes shoulder surgery". Brentford F.C. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
  26. 1 2 3 4 "Games played by Rico Henry in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
  27. ↑ "Colin and Woods battling to be fit for Blackburn clash –". TEAMtalk. Planet Sport Publishing. 4 May 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  28. 1 2 "Games played by Rico Henry in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
  29. ↑ "Rico Henry undergoes surgery on knee injury". Brentford F.C. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  30. ↑ "Head of Medical Neil Greig provides an injury update". Brentford F.C. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  31. 1 2 3 "Games played by Rico Henry in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
  32. ↑ "Benrahma and Henry nominated for PFA Player of the Month". Brentford F.C. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  33. ↑ "We could have taken all three points". Brentford F.C. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  34. ↑ "Rico Henry signs new Brentford contract". Brentford F.C. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  35. 1 2 "Games played by Rico Henry in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  36. 1 2 3 "Games played by Rico Henry in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  37. ↑ Vincent, Gareth (29 May 2021). "Brentford 2–0 Swansea City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  38. 1 2 "Bees trio voted into PFA Team of the Year". www.brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  39. 1 2 3 "Games played by Rico Henry in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  40. ↑ "Rico Henry signs new contract". www.brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  41. ↑ Brentford F.C. at the Football Club History Database
  42. 1 2 "Games played by Rico Henry in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  43. ↑ "Henry suffers knee injury". www.brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  44. ↑ Harris, Jay. "Brentford's transfer window: The Toney situation and defensive needs" . The Athletic. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  45. 1 2 "Games played by Rico Henry in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  46. ↑ "Frank 'emotional' as Henry closes in on Brentford return". www.brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  47. ↑ "Frank issues injury update on Ajer, Henry and Jensen". www.brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  48. ↑ "Injury update: Wissa, Nørgaard and Henry". www.brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  49. ↑ "Walsall's Rico Henry called up to England under-19 squad". Express & Star. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
  50. ↑ "England Matches – Under-19's 2010–20". England Football Online. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
  51. 1 2 Brett, Ciaran. "Brentford defender Rico Henry plays as England win Four Nations Tournament". Brentford F.C. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
  52. ↑ "Brentford FC Rico Henry withdrawn from England U20s with injury". Brentford F.C. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  53. ↑ Miller, Nick (26 December 2020). "EFL transfer targets: Rico Henry, the Brentford full-back wise beyond his years" . The Athletic. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  54. ↑ "Rico Henry: Profile". worldfootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
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