Thierry Henry interview: ‘Modern football is so scripted – we forget to let the players play'

Independent

27-02-2025

It was a scene, fittingly enough, that caused those watching to raise their eyebrows with excitement. At the Landmark Hotel in London in January, the Football Writers' Association awarded Dennis Bergkamp a place in its Hall of Fame, which gathered a lot of Arsenal 's most celebrated figures, including Arsene Wenger. Thierry Henry was sitting beside Ian Wright, and there was a natural sense of bonhomie. What was most striking, however, was when clips from Bergkamp's career were shown. Henry and Wright didn't quite sit back in awe, as most did. They began to mutter into each other's ears, pointing out little movements and finishes, and what they might have tried. 'Look what he's done there.' It was all the more resonant an image given what Wenger had been talking about in his speech. The former Arsenal manager celebrated Bergkamp's ingenuity while talking about how the modern game might have lost that capacity 'to be surprised'.
Henry never lost that, as can be seen in his own highlight reel. There was that flick-up and turned-volley against Manchester United, the back heel against Charlton Athletic, and so many individual goals. He personified the idea of individualism enhancing a collective – a sense of surprise complementing the structure.
It's a theme Henry warms to as he chats over Zoom for Lay's, but admits he's in a distinctive position now. He's a coach who very much follows the principles of the modern game, as was seen in his France team's run to the Olympic silver medal in the summer.
'I've said it so many times, the game is so controlled by everything, by stats, by coaches. I mean, myself, I'm a coach. I say 'don't do this, don't do that'. The game is so scripted and schematised at times, that you kind of forget to let players play.
'[Take] one of the best, Jack Grealish. He won the treble playing a certain way. It wasn't the same at Villa. Villa's Grealish was dribbling past people, shooting sometimes. At Man City, he's well aware that he can't lose the ball too early or too quick, because they're going to be in transition. Pep doesn't like transition. He likes to possess the ball, retain it there.
'Meanwhile… if you don't try, you don't succeed.'
Henry acknowledges that his view has been conditioned by his key role in the team that essentially created this modern era: Pep Guardiola's Barcelona. There is another little surprise there, though. While he talks about how he was 'high and wide on the left', he still saw himself as a striker.
'That's the game. It depends how you want to talk about it. We're strikers, wherever you go to perform. That's my view of it. We played at one point with Messi false nine, and Sam [Eto'o] high and wide on the right. We won the treble.'
Henry then becomes animated when he starts to discuss a modern attacker who he feels can marry much of this. That's Bayern Munich's Michael Olise, who he managed at the Paris Olympics.
'Michael is a proper football player, meaning he will always try to do what the game requires for the team. He presses well. He has an eye for a pass. Obviously, as you can see, he can score some goals.
'He's a special talent but always, always tries to do what the game requires, which is not always an easy task. When you can do something, when you have the quality to perform alone, but you still stay grounded to do what the team needs you to do, it's very important. I had a lot of fun with him at the Olympics because he is a special player, a special human being. Also, I'm just happy with what's happening to him right now, because he deserves it.'
Henry's conspicuous description of Olise as a talent who can bring individualism while enhancing the team is all the more notable as he starts to talk about how he feels football discussion has changed.
'You know, it's funny, whenever I'm in the street, people want to know who was the best, who is going to win the Ballon d'Or. And I'm like, hang on a minute, nobody comes into this game thinking about individuals. It's a collective sport. And I think we moved on so much from 'let's talk about the game'. It's always a battle or debate, who was the best… and I know it creates debates but there is a game here, 11 v 11, and if your team is not good, you will struggle! So yeah, you can see that new generation only want to talk about individuals.'
Is this a good thing, though?
'It's different. I don't know if it's good or right. That's how the world moved on. People talk more about players than the team at times.'
Henry does have a notable place in football discussion, as part of CBS's Champions League show. While he enjoys how the show has become famous for banter clips on social media, he stresses that it is also a long show where they go into detail on tactics – and the team.
'I do think at the end of the day, you can entertain people and educate them at the same time. One thing that people do not often think of, the show lasts four hours. Why not have a bit of fun, and at the same time you're covering everything, you're doing your analysis. It's kind of weird, because people in the UK can't watch the show, but they watch the clip, and they love the show through the clips, but there are so many things that we do that people don't know. I'm enjoying it.'
In terms of that capacity to surprise, there's also the reason he is here. Henry is talking about Lay's campaign with David Beckham – No Lay's No Game – where he drops in on unsuspecting supporters.
'I've been in the situation before when I did adverts and people knew you were coming… it was scripted, right? This is not scripted. You arrive, people turn, and then you get the reaction you're gonna get, people crying and people jumping, and joy.
'The whole thing, No Lay's No Game, we all know we like our little snack when we watch a game, wherever it is. What I like about it is just that genuine connection, that first two seconds, the face of the fans, they see you. It's second to none.
'That's raw, surprising people.'
Much like some of his play.
Finally, Henry believes there may yet be a surprise in his old club. Arsenal have faced difficulties of late, but he believes they can and should focus on the Champions League.
'All I know is that for a very long time, we looked like we were not competitive. Now, we are. And obviously winning the Champions League is a tough ask for everybody.'
That's the beauty of the sport, though, that capacity to do something unexpected. Henry knows that as well as anyone.