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'I did not dare to look him in the face': Six-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi admits he could not make eye contact with Thierry Henry following his arrival at the Nou Camp because he was so starstruck by the Frenchman

Lionel Messi has admitted he was so starstruck by Thierry Henry's presence in the Nou Camp dressing room that he couldn't look at the Frenchman's face.

After becoming one of the best players in the world following a dominant spell at Arsenal, Henry left north London in 2007 to join Barcelona in a £16million deal.

The World Cup-winning Frenchman left the Gunners as the club's all-time leading scorer – netting with 228 goals while 175 of those came in the Premier League.

Lionel Messi (R) admits he was left starstruck when Thierry Henry (L) joined Barcelona in 2007
Henry left Arsenal to join the Catalan giants after eight glorious years in north London

Henry's arrival at the Nou Camp was seen as a major coup, with Messi still merely a youngster learning his trade.