IN an ominous warning, Barcelona signing Thierry Henry claimed overnight that his new team will strike fear throughout Europe next season.
Speaking just a day after he was officially unveiled, Henry gushed over the attacking riches at Barca's disposal.
As well as the France World Cup winner, the Catalan giant can call on former world player of the year Ronaldinho, Argentina starlet Lionel Messi and Cameroon hot-shot Samuel Eto'o.
"When you look at every name on the team-sheet, mine included, we are a fearsome prospect," Henry told the official Barca website.
"I'm arriving at an incredible team and it would be pretentious to say what I can or can't bring to the team.
"When someone arrives at a new club he has to watch and listen a lot. I'm 29, soon to be 30, and I don't know everything about the club.
"I need to talk with the captain Carles Puyol and also with Eto'o, Ronaldinho, (Presas) Oleguer, (Andres) Iniesta, Xavi . . . players that have been here for many years."
Another challenge facing Henry will be learning the language.
Having spent eight years at Arsenal and a year before that at Juventus, Henry is accustomed to foreign fields but he does not yet speak Spanish.
"For me it's a priority to learn Castilian (Spanish) or Catalan as quickly as possible because it's very important to communicate, not just in the dressing room but from day to day. I want to get to know the culture, the Catalans, the city."
Quite apart from the challenges ahead, Henry is looking forward to being a part of a team that plays some of the most fluid, enterprising football in Europe.
But with the likes of Ronaldinho, Eto'o and Messi in the squad, Henry, who began his career as a winger, is not sure to be given a starting berth in his preferred central striking role.
"In a team of Barca's level, no-one can demand what position to play in. You think only about the group. "I think Barca is the only team in the world that has never changed its style of play."
That kind of talk is likely to further endear the Frenchman to the Catalan faithful, who have already taken him to their hearts.
It is thought that 30,000 people turned out to watch his official presentation, more than came to see Ronaldinho when he signed in 2003.
"I will remember that day for the rest of my life. I thought there would be quite a few people but I have to admit that when I turned around and saw all those people, I was really impressed."
Agence France-Presse