William Gallas: It will be nice to play against Thierry Henry

BALTIMORE -- William Gallas is looking forward to matching up against Thierry Henry when Tottenham visits the New York Red Bulls on Tuesday night.

The two men were teammates for eight years on the French national team and also shared a season at Arsenal during Henry's final year at the club in 2006. Both were on the 2003 France squad that won the Confederations Cup.

"It will be nice to see [Henry] again," Gallas told Goal.com after Tottenham's 0-0 draw against Liverpool on Saturday. "I've known him for a long time, since I was 13 years old. He was one of the best strikers in the world and now he's in America so all I can say is everyone respects what he did in football."

With both players - ironically born on the same day in 1977 - having some success at Arsenal, Gallas admits that Henry never lets him live down his decision to join Gunners rival Tottenham in 2010. The 34-year-old recalls Henry's immediate reaction upon hearing the transfer news.

"You know he was a big star for Arsenal. When I signed for Tottenham, he told me 'Commitment, you know.' It was very funny," Gallas said with a chuckle.

It is uncertain if Henry will feature in Tuesday's friendly but if he does, it should be a intriguing matchup between two of France's former top players from the past decade.