Thierry Henry is one soccer player that most fans who have followed the sport will vividly remember.
He was known for oozing class on the field, as he consistently demonstrated his ability to dribble past defenders with clever tricks as well as make inroads into attacking areas with sublime flicks.
The Frenchman was a top performer for Arsenal, which is clear when you look at the amount of goals he managed to score whilst representing the London club.
He’s the club’s all-time top goal scorer with 228 goals from his two separate stints for them across eight and a half seasons.
But what’s quite remarkable about Henry is that his brilliance isn’t just limited to what happens on the pitch.
You see, the guy has a knack for pulling off funny faces and one particular expression has garnered a huge amount of coverage over recent years across social media circles.
The Thierry Henry meme is centered on the player making a hilarious twitching motion with his mouth, as he tries not to let out a laugh about something. When Henry attempts to hold in a giggle, his mouth and cheeks start to flutter more frequently and in a quite bizarre way, giving plenty of comic relief for television viewers and fans.
Let’s now dig into the details of the Henry meme that’s brought joy to millions throughout the world.
When did the Thierry Henry mouth twitch meme originate?
It’s difficult to pinpoint the exact moment when this meme came to be, but there’s footage on Twitter which shows Henry pulling off this expression back in his early Arsenal days.
You can see from the clip below that David Seaman – the legendary Arsenal goalkeeper – initially tries to stop Henry from pulling off the move.
But the Frenchman goes ahead and does it anyway.
So, what that clip tells you is that Henry himself knew that his mouth twitch was funny even before it became popular.
The rest of the world eventually made the expression mainstream by turning it into a meme after he pulled off the stunt during a 2014 FIFA World Cup television broadcast where he was sat in the studio with other pundits.
It has to be said, that year gave birth to an incredible meme which will be in the minds of soccer fans for years to come.
Just think about all the different contexts in which you can utilize it.
For example, let’s say you see one of your best mates slip and fall down to the ground in a hilarious way.
If you’re the sort of person who’s quite sympathetic towards others, then you’d probably have a battle on your hands by trying to show the person who fell that you care about their wellbeing and safety.
But because of the banter you share with your friend, then you’d also recognize the fall as a pretty funny moment and try and hold in a laugh, which could lead to a situation similar to the Henry mouth twitch where you’re trying contain yourself.
Thierry Henry mouth twitch meme compilations
YouTube is a great source of entertainment, and the platform is host to some absolutely hilarious video content.
The mouth twitch meme has been viewable for a while, so you can check out the compilation below which goes through most of the instances where Henry has made the expression:
You can see that this video has recorded over 1 million plays since it was uploaded, which is further evidence of how viral and funny this meme is and has been.
Are there other soccer players who are “memed” a lot?
Funnily enough, there are definitely other soccer players who’ve had to face a barrage of playful mockery from fans, such as a former Manchester United defender who received a lot of publicity for his comedic facial expressions.
That article talks about how a famous meme came into existence and gives a bit of insight into why the player expresses himself in that unique way.
With a solid educational background in business management, the Soccer Whizz website is his first foray into the digital web space and it has been created with the intention of providing the absolute best soccer content for its readership.
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