Thierry Henry leaves coaching role with France youth side

Thierry Henry has decided to step down from his role as coach of the France under-21 football team after guiding the side to a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the French Football Federation (FFF) announced Monday.

The all-time leading goalscorer for Premier League giants Arsenal took over as coach of the French youth side last summer and was under contract until June 2025 but decided to step away for “personal reasons”, according to the FFF.

Earlier in July, former France international Henry oversaw Les Bleuets’ first run to the final of an Olympics men’s tournament since winning gold in the 1984 Games in Los Angeles.

His young side eventually went down 5-3 after extra time against Spain to end a promising run that had started inauspiciously after Henry was obliged to make several changes to his squad pre-tournament due to the refusal of certain clubs to release their players for the Games.

“I would like to thank the FFF and President Philippe Diallo for giving me this incredible opportunity,” said Henry, 47, in an FFF statement.

“Winning an Olympic silver medal for my country will remain one of the proudest moments of my life. I’m incredibly grateful to the federation, the players, the staff and the fans for giving me this magical experience.”

Federation boss Diallo thanked the 1998 World Cup winner for “all the work he accomplished as coach of the Espoirs (under-21s) and Olympic sides”.

“We obviously regret this decision, as Thierry Henry was able to achieve the objectives set for him by winning a silver medal at the Olympic Games in Paris,” he added.

“Having followed him throughout this campaign, I witnessed first-hand his great professionalism, his rigour and his love for the blue jersey.”