Arsenal's French captain Thierry Henry will step on to home turf in Wednesday's Champions League final fuelled by the anger that has driven him since he learned to play soccer on the streets of a south Paris suburb.
Despite his relaxed, approachable manner off the pitch, on it the France striker often cuts an implacable figure, berating team mates and himself if they or he produce anything less than perfection.
It will be no different on Wednesday against Barcelona at the Stade de France, a venue Henry has graced many times for France.
'When I have a grumpy face on the pitch people always wonder where it comes from,' said the 28-year-old who was born in Ulis, 30km south of Paris.
'It's pretty simple, everything comes from my dad, the way I play, my desire, my commitment, everything. My dad always taught me to never be satisfied with what you have.
'I'm not scared of anger. You must use it to drive you on, in a positive way. Without that anger I wouldn't be the same player. So now you understand why, when I score goals, I always play everything down.
'It's the same for a boxer. If he doesn't have that anger anymore when he goes in the ring, he's dead.
'That's my philosophy. I know that might not be the philosophy of everyone but that's why I've achieved what I've achieved and why I am playing the football I'm playing right now. That is my way.'
Under the eye of father Antoine, Henry learned how to look after himself playing soccer in the street as a youngster, a fact he was keen to stress as he addressed reporters at Arsenal's lush training complex north of London.
'I think sometimes people do forget where I come from,' he said.
'You always get aggro when you play on the streets. That's why you get tough. I always say there is no better school than the streets, it's the anger factor. You have to have that in you.
'The way I have been brought up and the way it was when I was young helped me to be what I am right now. That desire, that anger in the right way, drives me always.
'People deal with their stuff in different ways. All the time people talk about (Barcelona's) Ronaldinho smiling but I can tell you inside there are no smiles.
'When I play with family during the summer on the beach you will see the same guy, the same attitude. If I score I will take the mickey out of my dad, I will have a go at my brother. If my dad nutmegs me, I will kick him!
'It's nothing bad. I'm a happy man, trust me. It's just my way of seeing things.
'You can never reach perfection but I am trying to do it. That's the only way you can progress and get better. Trying to reach perfection will always keep you on your toes.'
