Former Arsenal and Barcelona striker Thierry Henry has stepped down as France U-21 head coach after leading the country to win silver in the men’s football event at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
France suffered a 5-3 loss to Spain in the gold medal match at the Paris Olympics.
Henry terminated the deal prematurely on Monday, even though he was under contract until at least July 2025.
The 47-year-old previously worked as Belgium’s assistant coach and head coach of Ligue 1 club Monaco and Major League Soccer side Montreal Impact.
The brief international stint with France youth teams allowed Henry to rejuvenate his coaching career after his recent spell as a TV pundit.
His coaching career started at AS Monaco in 2018 but he was shown the exit door after managing to get just five wins in 20 matches.
In 2019, Montreal Impact handed him another chance in the MLS, however, it did not end well after enduring a run of 16 losses in 29 matches but he recorded nine wins and four draws.
He was initially appointed to lead France U21 in 2023, but he was handed more responsibility to take charge of the country’s U23 for the men’s football event at the Olympics which he delivered with flying colours.
Les Blues cruised to three wins in the group stage with conceding a goal and they marched to the knockout round where they saw off Argentina (1-0) and Egypt (3-1) before their eventual loss to Spain.
Henry’s next destination is unknown but President of the French Football Federation, Philippe Diallo recently commented on the 47-year-old succeeding Didier Deschamps as the France national team head coach.
“Let’s not rush things. Thierry Henry, when I appointed him to this position, there were some who had doubts given what he had done previously,” Diallo told RMC Sport.
“I had confidence in him and he is proving it. We still have one more gold medal to go for. There is still this step to take and then next year, there will be the Euro Espoirs 2025.
“There will be this new challenge to take up, each of the steps must be taken before talking about anything else.”
