Major League Soccer's worst-kept secret became official Wednesday when the Red Bulls and MLS finally shined the big, bright light on Thierry Henry's long-silhouetted figure.

In the 32-year-old French international, MLS has turned up one of the few figures who can transcend the sports universe. Henry may not exactly land with a David Beckham-like publicity bounce as he makes the media rounds this week, but he's not that far from it. Maybe we can call his impact "Beckham lite."

Or, we can call it the Gillette Effect. Henry is a part of well-worn commercial for the razor blade maker, a spot that also includes the iconic Tiger Woods and tennis giant Roger Federer. So, it's not only sports fans who might recognize Henry's mug, and that's the true value in Wednesday's signing.

So this is a big day for Major League Soccer. For supporters of the game, Henry is a recognized soccer property who instantly adds to MLS stores of credibility. In that way he may be even more valuable than Beckham, who was frequently viewed as too far past his prime when he boarded the MLS bus in 2007.

Read more: sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/steve_davis/07/14/henry.redbulls/index.html#ixzz0tmA9p0Vq