Will Henry's wife net £10m from their divorce?

Thierry Henry's wife could be in line to receive up to £10million in the biggest ever divorce payout by a footballer.

The legal battle comes after the French player is said to have walked out of the home he shared with model Nicole Merry, signalling the end of their four-year marriage.

Their split coincides with his lucrative move from Arsenal to Barcelona, where he will earn £130,000 a week.

Henry, 29, has hired London law firm Mishcon de Reya, which represented Princess Diana and Heather Mills in their divorce battles, as he faces the carve-up of his estimated £25million fortune.

The case follows a number of high-profile divorces. In 2004, Arsenal player Ray Parlour's wife Karen was awarded £1.8million of his future earnings after arguing she had played a vital role in building his career.

In Henry's case, divorce experts have predicted a judge may order a "clean break", meaning his wife would receive a huge lump sum rather than a proportion of his future pay.

Even so, he is likely to have to sell the couple's six-bedroomed home in Hampstead, North London, which he bought for £5.95million five years ago.

The case will mean a huge windfall for Miss Merry, 27. Born in Croydon, she was a dancer with ambitions to become a TV presenter when she met Henry.

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She quickly left the home she shared with her father Peter, an advertising executive, and mother, to move in with the footballer.

She starred with Henry in the "vavavoom" TV adverts for the Renault Clio.

The couple were together for two years before they married in 2003 and have a two-year-old daughter.

Miss Merry is unlikely to be awarded an equal share of her husband's fortune - as well as the fact their marriage has been relatively short, Henry had already established himself as a successful footballer when they met.

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On top of a lump sum, Henry will have to pay child maintenance in line with his high salary.

Henry is said to have told friends he needed to get away from "everything English, including my wife".

But in a statement he said he was "extremely saddened" by the breakdown of his marriage and that his move to Barcelona was "entirely for footballing reasons".

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