With the arrival of Hervé Renard at the head of the Bleues, the 34-year-old midfielder returned to the selection. And the smile too, after a difficult sporting and moral sequence.
“I went through a really very difficult time… I can say it, I experienced a moment of blues, a little depression.” This is perhaps the only moment during the interview, which she gave to the sports department of Radio France, where Amandine Henry shed her broad smile. The player with 95 caps spoke out about the pain that ate away at her for several months.
“I was lucky to be well surrounded by my loved ones, but I still had to call on a mental coach to get through all that.”confesses Henry. Being followed is still a taboo but there is work being done and I think that today it is becoming essential.“
Banned from Les Bleues by Corinne Diacre
A discomfort which can be explained quite simply: Amandine Henry, who had her very first cape with the Bleues in 2009, was ostracized by Corinne Diacre, the consequence of a media war between the player and the coach at the time. fall 2020. An incomprehensible decision for the ex-captain, who tried, at the time, to put words to the ills affecting the France group. A period during which social networks did not help.
“We are human beings above all. People forget that we have a heart. People will post comments and they will forget five minutes later, we will spend our evening and even more depressed.”
Amandine Henryat franceinfo
And to regret: “It’s impossible to be 100% all the time, to always do things perfectly. Sometimes it’s hard, because we want to do well, but we can’t and seeing negative comments, sometimes outside of football, sometimes it hurts“.
A difficult period that she managed to overcome thanks to a mental trainer and the support of those close to her: “It taught me a lot about myself. I came out of it stronger and if it were to happen to me again, I would be better prepared.” And now able to help, if necessary, his colleagues in the event of a downturn. “I try, through my experience, to take on this role, to help my teammates, because in a career, it is impossible to have a career without glitches (smile), she explains. “I try to be as attentive as possible, but it’s an exchange. If it happens, it’s a ‘little one’ that will cheer me up. It’s also a question of group trust, and I think we need that.“
Hervé Renard, man of Henry’s rebirth
If Amandine Henry has found a smile again, despite the recent elimination of her team Angel City in the American League play-off by Megan Rapinoe’s OL Reign (0-1), she owes it to a man: Hervé Renard . “It could have arrived before, it would have helped us (laughs)”, Henry said with a big smile. The national coach immediately called on the services of the midfielder. Permanent exchanges and a selection for the World Cup, which the latter could not honor due to an injury.
But the latter did not let go. “I can never thank Hervé Renard enough, he’s the coach who gave me another chance in the French team, who always supported me, despite injuries.” recalls, moved, Amandine Henry. “Of course, after the World Cup, I asked myself the question: is he going to call me back? (Laughs). That was the big surprise for me. I will give everything on the pitch to the coach.“
And a return to Valenciennes in the League of Nations, against Portugal (2-0) with a come into play as a rebirth: “It’s like a first time. You know what you lost, you don’t want to lose it again, and you do everything to come back each time.“
The Paris Games, “the apotheosis”
With the elimination of her team, Amandine Henry finds herself without a club until next January. “I am open to all kinds of projects, as long as I play, I am happy (laughs)”, slips the one who is not overly worried about her contractual situation, “a problem of the rich“.
But Amandine Henry intends to find a club to continue her good momentum, with of course her sights set on the Paris Olympic Games. “That’s what we said to each other with Wendie (Fox) and Eugenie (The Sommer), we are lucky to be in this generation where we had the opportunity to participate in a World Cup in France, in the Olympics in France, for us it is the holy grail“, announces Amandine Henry, before concluding: “We are still looking for that first title, so why not in our country? It would truly be the apotheosis.“