On the sidelines of the French football team’s preparation for the Paris Olympic Games, Thierry Henry answered questions from Ouest-France about Belgium, a team he knows well since he was assistant to the former Red Devils coach, Roberto Martinez (2016-2018 and 2021-2022), and coach of Lukaku, De Bruyne and Carrasco… The Blues challenge their neighbor this Monday, 1is July (6 p.m.) in the eighth-finals of the Euro.
“The boss knows what he has to do”
Did Didier Deschamps call you to talk about the Belgian selection?
It’s no longer the same coach (Domenico Tedesco replaced Martinez), many players are no longer there, it’s no longer the same tactics either. So no. And the boss, “DD”, finally you understand, he knows what he has to do. With all the matches he played and what he managed to do… In any case, all I can say is that I had an extraordinary time with this Belgian team.
Except the 2018 World Cup semi-final…
Oh yes, that was horrible. I couldn’t sing the anthem… It’s the first time in my life that I haven’t sung the Marseillaise. I couldn’t, I had to have a minimum of respect, being on the bench on the other side. I am proud to be French, but I had to work and the least I could do was respect this nation which welcomed me and has always behaved well towards me. But it was hard to fight against my country…
Now that you have returned to the right camp, you are going this 8e final in a more comfortable position?
Oh no but there is nothing to see there (the s’esclaffe). I still have a lot of friends in this selection, I wish them good luck, but nothing more… And I will sing the French anthem, there will be no problem.
Do you maintain links with the Belgian players since your time as Roberto Martinez’s assistant?
I still have ties with all the guys I knew in the Belgian national team. Especially Eden Hazard. We hit it off right away. At the same time, it’s hard not to hit it off with Eden, firstly because he’s an excellent player. And then because of his personality. He’s easy-going. I learned a lot from Roberto Martinez, his staff and this team.
And since a few days ago, do these links still exist?
Oh no, there aren’t too many calls anymore (laughter).
