Two players fell out over an incident involving Arsenal hero Thierry Henry
06:30, 22 Mar 2026
Edu of Arsenal, Thierry Henry of Arsenal Lauren of Arsenal and Denis Bergkamp of Arsenal celebrates during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Highbury on October 18, 2003 in London, England.
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A former Arsenal player was accused of disrespecting his France team-mate Thierry Henry(Image: Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
Former Arsenal stars William Gallas and Samir Nasri had a bitter falling out after the latter was accused of disrespecting Thierry Henry.
Gallas and Nasri played together at Arsenal for two seasons, between 2008 and 2010. Despite being team-mates for club and country, that period was defined more by their legendary feud than their footballing chemistry.
Their tense relationship stemmed from an incident during Euro 2008 while both players, along with Henry, were on international duty with the France team. Gallas in November 2008 released his autobiography, La Parole est a la Defense (Speaking in Defense), which shattered his relationship with Arsene Wenger and the rest of the Gunners squad.
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One explosive story he told in the book detailed his feud with an unnamed young French player, which soon became clear had been Nasri, from the previous summer. Gallas slammed the midfielder for sitting in Henry’s seat on the team bus and refusing to move.
The veteran defender took it as a sign of disrespect towards a legendary figure in the France team and described Nasri’s behaviour as "insolent" and "cheeky". The spat made for a frosty relationship even before the book's release, after Arsenal signed Nasri that same summer from Marseille.
Later giving his take on the incident, Nasri explained: "Thierry was absent with a back injury and I sat in his seat on the French bus. When he came back he said 'Can you get up?'
Arsenal's William Gallas celebrates scoring the goal to make it 2-1 against Tottenham Hotspur with Samir Nasri (R) during their Barclays Premiership football match at The Emirates Stadium in London, on October 29, 2008.
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William Gallas [L] and Samir Nasri [R] do not get along(Image: CHRIS RATCLIFFE/AFP/Getty Images)
"But he said it in a certain way. So to wind him up I answered 'Well, respect works both ways'. He then asked if I could stand up, I did and we laughed about it and watched a DVD together."
Unlike Henry, Gallas, who later joined bitter rivals Tottenham, appeared to hold a grudge, given his telling of the story in his book. But the Frenchman insisted his relationship with Nasri actually broke down following a row during a Champions League game for Arsenal in 2009, after which his younger compatriot admitted they didn't speak for a year.
He recalled in 2012: "Before the book came out, I even talked with him. We took a walk at Clairefontaine and I told him I was going to talk about the affair on the bus without naming him and he had no objections.
Thierry Henry of Arsenal and William Gallas of Chelsea battle for the ball during the Barclays Premiership match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Highbury on December 18, 2005 in London, England.
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Henry and Gallas were senior figures in the French dressing room(Image: Getty)
"But then we had a game in Rome, with Arsenal, where he lost a ball. I showed my disappointment but nothing more and he called me all sorts of names on the pitch.
"We had a serious disagreement in the dressing room at the end of the game. I put him back in his place and told him he was not at Marseille any more!"
Once Gallas had moved to rivals Spurs, Nasri famously refused to shake his hand before a match. The pair’s tit-for-tat war of words in the media hasn’t fully died down in recent years despite their respective retirements.
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