Thierry pays £8m to wife of four years

Thierry Henry has paid his ex-wife £8million in a divorce settlement, it was claimed today.

The former Arsenal striker has finally settled with Claire Merry, heading off a costly High Court battle, it was reported.

If true, Ms Merry's payoff represents about £2million for each year the couple were married.

Henry, 31, who now earns £130,000 a week at Barcelona, and Ms Merry, a model, divorced last September on the grounds of his "unreasonable behaviour" but the financial wrangling had continued. The couple have one child, Tea, three.

The details of any deal are likely to remain private but will have been complex because footballers earn large amounts of money but only over a relatively short time.

Another former Arsenal footballer, Ray Parlour, was ordered to pay his ex-wife Karen £440,000 a year for five years in a ground-breaking Court of Appeal ruling.

The Sun today says Ms Merry, 27, is "delighted" with the settlement.

The couple met on the set of an advertisement for the Renault Clio car in which Henry starred alongside his future wife. Neither would comment.