World Cup winner Thierry Henry says he had depression during career and cried “almost every day” early in pandemic
- Former France and Arsenal star opens up about mental health fight on Diary of a CEO podcast
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Thierry Henry, who won the 1998 World Cup and the 2000 European Championship with France and is Arsenal’s all-time highest scorer, has opened up about the fact he “must have been in depression” during his career.
The 46-year-old former forward says he had a spell early in the coronavirus pandemic when he was “crying almost every day”.
Henry, who now coaches France’s under-21 team, has linked his struggles to his past and a search for approval, having grown up with a father who was critical of his performances on the field.
Speaking on the Diary of a CEO podcast, Henry said: “Throughout my career, and since I was born, I must have been in depression.
“Did I know it? No. Did I do something about it? No. But I adapted to a certain way. That doesn’t mean I’m walking straight, but I’m walking. You’ve got to put one foot [forward] and another one, and walk. That’s what I’ve been told since I’m young.
“I never stopped walking, then maybe I would have realised. [But during] Covid, I stopped walking. I couldn’t. Then you start to realise.”
