Thierry Henry is known for being one of the greatest footballer’s of all time, winning everything there is to win in the game with Arsenal, Barcelona and the French national team. Following his playing career, the Premier League hall of fame striker stepped into management with Monaco. While things came easy to Henry on the pitch, he struggled in his first role off the pitch and was ultimately sacked after just three months in charge, overseeing just five wins in all competitions in his time at Monaco.
Despite this setback, he wasted little time before finding a new job. He followed fellow Frenchman and former Arsenal team mate Patrick Vieira to manage in the MLS in order to prove himself as a young manager. With the obvious connections between Montreal and France, Henry decided to join one of the three Canadian teams in the MLS in 2019 in the form of Montreal Impact.
It proved to be a great place for Henry to learn the ropes. While competitive, the league did not offer as much media pressure as he received in France and he was able to develop as both a tactician and a leader at a comfortable speed. The popularity of football has been on the rise over the previous two decades in Canada, a fact illustrated by the three Canadian based teams in the MLS, the improvements the national team have made, and the amount of media attention the sport is now getting. This is also reflected in trends in sports betting in Canada, which demonstrates that the game of football is going from strength to strength in the Great White North.
Under the management of Henry, Montreal Impact qualified for the play-offs for the first time in four seasons and reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Having played under two of the greatest manager’s of all time, Arsène Wenger and Pep Guardiola, Henry set his first task as creating a culture at the club based on two philosophies, a passing game and giving everything you have. While it may sound straight forward, it would be the foundation he needed to create if he wanted to put Montreal in a position where they could start building for the future.
It was clear from the outset that Henry was going to take a hands on approach on the training ground and with so much experience in his locker, the player’s were keen to take note. Citing personal reasons, Henry would eventually step down as manager in February 2021 in order to be closer to his children in London. He eventually returned to work alongside Roberto Martinez as an assistant coach for the Euro 2020 championships. However, whatever the next step is for the Frenchman, the impact he made at Montreal in such a short time appears to have created a culture within the club, and will long be remembered by both the fans and the players. It is impossible to not think Henry will one day find himself as manager of his former team Arsenal, but it may well be his time in Canada to thank for his future success!
