France Under-21 coach Thierry Henry steps down after Olympic final loss

Thierry Henry The French Football Federation (FFF) announced on Monday that he has decided to step down from his role as coach of the France Under-21 football team. Former France international Henry made the decision after leading the Under-23 team to a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The all-time leading goalscorer for Premier League giants Arsenal took over as coach of the French youth team last summer and was under contract until June 2025, but according to the FFF, he decided to step down for “personal reasons”.

Henry led Les Bleuets to their first men’s Olympic tournament final since winning gold at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

His youth team eventually lost 5–3 after extra time to Spain, ending their impressive run, as Henry had to make several changes to his squad ahead of the tournament due to some clubs refusing to field their players for the games.

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

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

Federation chief Diallo thanked the 1998 World Cup winner for “all the work he did as coach of the Espoirs (under-21) and Olympic teams”.

“We regret this decision, as Thierry Henry succeeded in achieving the goal he had set for himself by winning the silver medal at the Paris Olympic Games,” he said.

“Following him throughout this campaign, I saw first-hand his great professionalism, his tenacity and his love for the blue jersey.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)