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Unity is strength. On May 30, Belgium and Thierry Henry decided to get married for a second time. The two parties remained on a first overall successful marriage between 2016 and 2018. Assistant to Roberto Martinez, the Frenchman had lived the World Cup in Russia alongside the Red Devils. An enriching experience both humanly and professionally. But the native of Les Ulis had decided to break up a few months later to return to his first love: AS Monaco. Revealed there as a player, he had no hesitation in saying yes when the position of head coach was offered to him in October 2018.
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A second wedding with Belgium
But this flashback with the Principality’s club did not work. Four months after his arrival, he was laid off as a precaution and replaced by Leonardo Jardim, whom he had succeeded in October. Touched in the heart, Henry waited patiently before launching again. And in November 2019, he finally gave in to the Montreal Impact’s repeated advances. An MLS franchise with which he was able to continue his learning. But on February 26, Henry announced his departure, particularly wishing to be closer to his relatives based in London.
Associated with the plan to take over Arsenal and courted by Bournemouth, he intended to be a consultant for the BBC during the Euro. But the Frenchy did not resist long when Belgium returned to give him soft eyes. May 30 therefore marked the start of his new alliance with the Red Devils. United for better or for worse, the two parties were eager to live together again and to do better than third place in 2018. Despite a strong staff of 44 people, Roberto Martinez absolutely wanted to have Thierry Henry by his side.
A tailor-made role
“I needed an additional coach for this tournament”, explained the Spaniard. Journalist and head of the football section at The last hour, Christophe Franken tells us more behind the scenes of this comeback. “Roberto Martinez called him back because he was free and he felt he could bring something more to his staff. His work before and at the 2018 World Cup had been appreciated and Martinez himself therefore took the initiative to ask him to come back ”. Three days before the start of the Euro, Henry therefore found the base camp of Tubize to carry out his new mission.
It must be said that his responsibilities were very specific, as Christophe Franken explains to us.“He’s the T3 (second assistant). He deals more particularly with attackers. He works on the team’s offensive movements, animation and running lines. Romelu Lukaku, to whom he is very close, believes that Henry has become a better coach after his experiences in T1. It helps attackers better to work on their defensive positioning (…). He can give his opinion on other aspects but he remains in his mission, without wanting to offend other members of the staff by trying to appropriate their tasks. This is also how he justifies his media silence, the T3s of other countries do not speak ”.
A man in the shadows
Enough to do the business of a Henry who prefers to stay in the shadows. Less those of the local media who would like to approach him a little more. “In Belgium, the phenomenon of curiosity has passed but we are still proud to have it in the staff. It remains something special. The Belgian press would just like to be able to approach him a little more but he refuses “. The French only want to be talked about for his work. And in the opinion of all, it is a real asset for Martinez and Belgium.
The journalist of The last hour tells us: “Yes, that’s clearly a plus. Which selection could dare to say that it does not need the expertise and the aura of a legend of this sport like Thierry Henry? He also makes bonds throughout the group by sharing his experiences. He is the only one in the staff to have known the very high level ”. Indeed, Henry has forged a strong and even fraternal relationship with the players, he who is an example from his experience. He also actively participates in the life of a group where his advice is taken very seriously.
A big brother and an example
Hagged again on his return, he took part in basketball and card games on his free time and took part in training. We also saw that he had beautiful remains in a video posted on the Red Devils Twitter account. We see the former striker scoring a free kick from the left in the top corner of the third goalkeeper with in comment: “The class is permanent”. What made the stars of the selection react.” This is the problem. We’ve been training for an hour and a half, we scored a few goals, and he comes in with his left foot and kills us ”, said Kevin De Bruyne. “This guy has been retired for ten years, and he just killed my whole country”, outbid Romelu Lukaku.
Class is permanent. ? #DEVILTIME # EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/6PO27JGEVV
– Belgian Red Devils (@BelRedDevils) June 20, 2021
A player he is very close to also in a match given his role. “When he sees something, he tells me. Sometimes even in the middle of a game. And conversely, if I have a message to convey, I do not hesitate to communicate with him and I know that he will discuss it with the coach. It’s important that we are all on the same line ”, confessed Big Rom. A real big brother to very demanding players, Thierry Henry has found his place within the great Belgian family. A family that has opened its arms wide to him and where some even imagine him taking over from Roberto Martinez one day. But we will have to be patient since the Spanish coach will be present at least until the 2022 World Cup.
A future in Belgium?
For his part, the 43-year-old Frenchman would like to return to service as number one, he who is keen to prove that he is made for this job and not to be an eternal assistant. In any case, in Belgium we are convinced of its success. “I don’t think he’s a better assistant than a coach, but the future will tell. He made mistakes for his debut in Q1, including arriving at a bad time in Monaco. According to players, he is aware of certain faults in his management but he remains very motivated to succeed as a head coach. He only signed with Belgium for the tournament. He wants to quickly find a bench “, assures us Christophe Franken.
With the elimination of the Blues on Monday against Switzerland and UEFA which dismissed the referee Clément Turpin, Thierry Henry is now the last tricolor representative during this Euro, putting aside the Dane Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, whose mother is French, and the neo-Spanish Aymeric Laporte. Friday, twenty-one years after winning the European Championship against Squadra Azzurra with the Blues, he will try to help Belgium in his way eliminate Italy and get closer to his dream. A common dream for Belgium and Thierry Henry, determined to be united this time for the best and nothing but the best.
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