Thierry Henry is arguably Arsenal’s greatest-ever player, and he is now managing the France men’s football team at the Olympic Games in Paris.
France are hosting the tournament, meaning that winning Gold would be extra special for Henry and his side, who are being captained by former Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette.
Several clubs refused to release their players for the tournament, with Arsenal denying Henry the chance to call up William Saliba, whilst Real Madrid did not allow Kylian Mbappe to participate either.
France have now reached the semi-finals of the tournament, where they will face Egypt, after beating Argentina in controversial circumstances.
France reach Olympics semi-finals under Arsenal legend Thierry Henry
France recorded a 1-0 victory over Argentina, with Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta scoring the only goal in the first half. Michael Olise thought he had added a second, but this was ruled out by VAR, after Henry had sprinted up the touchline to celebrate.
In what was a tense affair with Argentina, who beat the France senior team in the last World Cup final, tensions boiled over at the full-time whistle, and players had to be separated after fighting on the pitch.
Henry came up against former Barcelona and Liverpool star Javier Mascherano in the opposite dugout, and big-name players such as Julian Alvarez and Enzo Fernandez were on the opposite team.
However, France have reached the semi-finals without conceding a single goal, and this would undoubtedly be the best achievement of Henry’s managerial career if he goes on to win it.
Thierry Henry unhappy despite France Olympics win
The scenes after the game tarnished the victory, and speaking to reporters, Henry admitted that he was unhappy with what happened.
“I don’t agree with what happened at the end of the match. My player [Enzo Millot] got a red card and I don’t accept it, it shouldn’t happen,” he stated.
“I couldn’t control what happened. I went to greet the coach and when I turned around, what happened happened.
“We won, but I didn’t like what happened at the end with my player.
“We didn’t want to lose a player (to suspension) but it was pointless, he wasn’t even playing (at the final whistle). I’m really not happy about that. We were all united, the only drawback is getting a red on the bench.”
Henry will now be without Stuttgart midfielder Millot for the semi-finals, but the win over Argentina saw his side beat one of the favourites to win, and he will now hope they can go all the way.
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