Thierry Henry is a myth of French football, being the top scorer in the history of the Bleus (with 53 goals), but next Tuesday in St. Petersburg will be dressed as 'Red Devil' as a deputy of Roberto Martinez, in the semifinal opposite to Belgium against France.
The record of 'Titi' in the French team is impressive: World Champion in 1998 and runner-up in 2006, winner of the Euro-Cup 2000 and the Confederations Cup in 2003, but also lived the disappointments of the World-2002 (elimination in the first phase) and the Euro Cups of 2004 (eliminated by the surprising Greece in the quarterfinals) and 2008 (without passing the group stage).
He was also the protagonist of two of the most bizarre episodes of French football: the strike led by players during the World Cup-2010, to which France qualified after winning the overtime of the European repechage to Ireland with a goal by William Gallas, who He received Henry's pass ... with his hand.
For all that international experience, Roberto Martínez made Henry his deputy, with the aim of helping the Belgian 'golden generation' to take the final step to success.
"It's weird to have him against, as a Frenchman he is. He is a living legend of French football, the top scorer (of the national team). He has contributed a lot to France, we have a lot of respect for what he has done, "striker Olivier Giroud said on Sunday July 8, 2018, from the concentration of the Bleus in Istra, on the outskirts of Moscow.
"He gives very precise and important advice to the Belgians. I would have preferred for him to be with us and give us the advice, me and the other attackers, but you do not have to be jealous, "added the current Chelsea player, who when he signed for Arsenal (2012) or when he arrived to the French team (2011) was called to be the successor of 'Titi', although they were two completely different profiles of forwards.
Experience and winning mentality
However, Giroud, who did not rule out that Henry could one day be coach Bleu, assured that next Tuesday in St. Petersburg, the French will be "focused on what happens in the field."
The president of the French Football Federation, Noël Le Graët, admitted that his organization has "little contact" with the ex-football player, who has been a 'Bob' Martínez assistant for a couple of years, perhaps preparing a future career as head coach.
"Life is so. He has always played in England. It has little presence in France and has little contact with the Federation, "insisted the leader.
His main mission within the Belgian team is to contribute his experience and instill the culture of triumph to a talented group that until now had failed in the previous big tournaments.
"He loves to talk about his experience," the young center-forward Michy Batshuayi explained in Russia. "He is a football lover, he loves to talk a lot about what he has done, how he was before, his first World Cup and all that ... He has given me many tips to improve," revealed the tip.
Maybe Henry is the only one who next Tuesday has nothing to lose in that semifinal. "If we win, he will also be happy because he is French first and foremost," recalled French side Lucas Hernández this week.
The different appointments were taken from different statements during the last years; if someone knows how to paste a link in the appointments and can teach me, I will be very grateful.
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