By Arno C.
– Published on Oct 03, 2024 at 4:48 p.m.modified on 03 Oct 2024 at 5:07 p.m.
Thierry Henry and Zinedine Zidane have written the most beautiful pages of the Blues. Many false rumors have been circulating about their relationship.
Antoine Griezmann has just announced his retirement from the French team. A judgment which inevitably refers to those of the greatest players to have worn the rooster jersey. The native of Mâcon left his mark on his generation as Thierry Henry and Zinédine Zidane did in their time.
These two monsters of world football wore the blue tunic for almost eight years together. They won everything that could be won during this era which marked the history of football. One was a playmaker and the other an attacker, yet their complementarity has long been criticized.
Zinedine Zidane and Thierry Henry, mutual respect
When Thierry Henry arrived at the Blues, Zinédine Zidane was already the technical leader of the team coached by Aimé Jacquet. As is often the case in groups, affinities cause small clans to form. While the Marseillais was very close to Dugarry and Candela, the native of Ulis was always stuck with Wiltord and Anelka.
However, the respect between the two has always existed. “There we are talking about Zizou. A monster. Everyone had their own character. We were five years apart, I was closer to (Sylvain) Wiltord, Nico (Anelka) or David (Trezeguet). He was always with Duga. But he once said: ‘Titi, he’s the funniest in the group’”.
Zidane’s only assist for Henry
Despite their obvious complementarity on paper, Zinédine Zidane only gave Thierry Henry one assist during their career with the French team. A statistic that has long weighed on both men. All the more that between the cold-blooded scorer and the genius creatorall the elements were there. But the magic of football is that nothing is written in advance. It was finally necessary to wait until 2006 and the antepenultimate match of Zizou’s career for him to finally offer a D pass to Titi.
“With Zizou, we were not compared, we were opposed. And it was super lame. He calls me the American, and I the Ancient. I never had a problem with him! It was heavy. Moreover, when he gave me his first assist for the A, in the quarter-final of the 2006 World Cup against Brazil (1-0), he exclaimed at the end of the match: “Now, we can no longer say that I never gave him one” ».
Thierry Henry, a misunderstood player
For a very long time, Thierry Henry had the image of a slightly haughty player. Very sure of himself, the former Arsenal and Barcelona striker scored goals like pearls. An alloy of speed, power and precision of a very high level. Unfortunately for him, his often closed face has greatly damaged his image. Having subsequently become a consultant, he has since revealed himself to the general public as a much more fanciful character than he appeared.
“On the pitch, I was super annoying, but always for the good of the team. Outside, I loved to laugh, to make everyone laugh in the locker rooms and sleeping during training. It weighed on me. In the world of football, people knew but no one said it. It wasn’t for me to say, ‘Hey, by the way, I’m a funny guy too.'”.
