New York Red Bulls young gun Juan Agudelo enjoyed a very successful 2010 from an individual viewpoint. The 18-year old Colombian-born attacker made his first MLS appearances, replacing Henry for the ill-fated two-legged semi-final with San Jose Earthquakes, and was also given his first USA cap at senior level.

Agudelo scored on debut in the 1-0 win over South Africa but for all his individual positives, he said being in the same squad as former Arsenal and Barcelona star Henry was his best moment.

"It has been an amazing year," Agudelo told Yahoo!Sports. "I broke through, scored that goal and people got to know who I am.

"But the most amazing part of the year for me is the fact that Thierry Henry came to play in New York and the way it all worked out. Here is this guy who I used to go on YouTube just to find his videos. Now he is at my club, he has the locker next to mine, and he is my friend."

And Agudelo was delighted to find that Henry, a France football legend, was very down to earth.

"Some great players have a big head," Agudelo added. "But from the first day (Henry) came in he was just this great professional. He makes jokes, he mimics people and has everyone cracking up. Seriously, if he wasn't a soccer player he should be on stage.

"He gets the respect he deserves because of what he had achieved in the game. I listen to every word he says and when he gives me advice I have huge respect for it. But what makes it mean even more is that he has the humility to still be one of the guys. That says so much about him as a person.

"We talk and we have seen each other away from soccer, too. That doesn't happen all the time because I don't want him to feel like he is my babysitter. He is a great person to be around though and it is inspiring - even more if you want to be a great goal scorer."