Thierry Henry wreaks havoc at home in new Nike ads

by Jennifer Whitehead,, Brand Republic 03-Jun-04, 12:00

LONDON - Thierry Henry, Arsenal and France star, plays a game of football against imaginary players in his own house in the latest spot for Nike, created by Wieden & Kennedy Amsterdam.

In the 60-second ad, Henry is shown kicking a football around his home, destroying windows and furniture in the process. Out of nowhere appear rival players, as Henry uses fancy footwork to keep the ball. Rushing down a corridor, a photograph of Henry with his Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is smashed, with Henry saying "sorry boss".

As the game moves outside, one of Henry's neighbours looks out and it becomes apparent that the game is only in the striker's head -- he is really playing football with his dog.

The action shifts back into the apartment, with Henry opening a cupboard door to be greeted by a wall of Manchester United stars including Paul Scholes and Ruud van Nistelrooy, all saying "boo".

The spot finishes with Henry on the floor, looking down to see his dog awaiting another game. It is set to the track 'Skeewiff Vs Big Les' by Skeewiff, which samples the song 'Ja Da Cha Cha'.

The ad was written by Sebastian Wilhelm and art directed by Ollie Watson. Creative directors on the campaign were Carlos Bayala, Jose Cabaco and Mark Hunter, and the spot was directed by Tom Carty and Neveldine&Taylor through Gorgeous and Radical Media.

'Home Game' follows on from Nike's first football ad of the year, which showed what happens off the pitch when the Portuguese team and the Brazilian team meet in the tunnel.

Cabaco, who is creative director for Nike at Wieden & Kennedy, said: "'The Other Game' was about a giant moment -- Brazil versus Portugal. It doesn't get any bigger. 'Home Game' is about a small moment, a moment when we see inside someone's head. In this case it's one of the world's greatest footballers -- Thierry Henry."

The ad breaks across Europe today.

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