Thierry Henry and his “madmen” in search of a coronation that looks like an exploit

The French men’s football team will face Spain in the final of the Olympic tournament on Friday at the Parc des Princes, with the ambition of winning the gold medal forty years after the victorious epic in Los Angeles.

“These guys do things they shouldn’t do. At the end of the game, they had to keep the ball at the corner point against Argentina. Often I wonder why they do things like that and it works.” Since the beginning of the Olympic adventure, Thierry Henry has had nothing but admiration for his kids, who taught him “to let flow” certain things. With this group of players under 23 (with the exception of the three jokers) that he built two months ago, not without a few adjustments, he will experience, on Friday August 8, one of the greatest moments in the history of French football.

An Olympic final at home, at the Parc des Princes, is no small feat, especially since it comes forty years after the victory at the Los Angeles Olympics, but especially forty years after the first title in the history of French football and the triumph at Euro 1984, concluded by a final against Spain in the same stadium. When talking about this wink to history, Henry did not pour out his heart after the victory in extra time against Egypt, but let his excitement show through with one of those facial expressions that he has the secret of. On Thursday, on the eve of the final, he went into a long digression on his love for the Parc des Princes.

“The Parc is Safet Susic. It’s Francescoli at Matra. It’s George Weah. It’s Lama’s handball to Ginola in front of the star-studded stand, an inside control, the outside of the foot and the long line run. It’s Borelli kissing the pitch. It’s 84. It’s the Real match. It’s Zlatan, Kylian, Cavani, Pauleta. It’s Dahleb.”the native of Les Ulis explained, remembering his weekends spent watching matches there as a kid. It was a nostalgic Thierry Henry with transparent sensitivity who presented himself to the press in recent days, a man who is going to experience a climax that he had not anticipated, ten years after the end of his playing career, four after his last (failed) experience as a club coach.

“I’m not used to crossing the line in the extreme, but I’m in a dreamhe confided on Thursday, as he experienced his first hours in Paris since the start of the Olympic Games. Every night, I get chills. We have a beautiful country after all. When we decide to be together, we are unstoppable. We needed it after what happened a little before the competition.” After his almost Christ-like exultation at the final whistle of the semi-final against Egypt, “Titi” celebrated fully with his players, to the point of indulging in a dance that went viral on social networks.

The communion is total with his players, whom he affectionately nicknames the “madmen” since the start of the final phase. “I understand why he calls us that. It only takes three or four players together and it starts to get funny. Just yesterday, we had members of the staff singing, laughs Captain Alexandre Lacazette, 35 years old and usually more reserved when dealing with journalists. Everyone gets along well. There’s a great atmosphere, only good guys. There’s no poison in this team.”

This group of young people without complexes has blown the filter with the media after the euphoria of the victory (and the fight) against Argentina. We saw a Enzo Millot with a rogue smile while his coach reprimanded him in front of the television and there was nothing dramatic in that. A lightness emanates from this team nevertheless made up of bits and pieces barely two months ago. “The last time I took this many rejections was in middle school.”fumed Thierry Henry on June 3 when revealing a pre-list of 25, without the highly coveted Kylian Mbappé or eligible young internationals like Eduardo Camavinga or Bradley Barcola.

This ultimately did not prevent Henry from drawing on the great pool of French talent and developing an ambitious and, above all, effective game plan. The general public, for example, discovered Michael Olise, the key man in the French offensive animation, or the striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, who largely justified his status as a joker. “Whatever happens, it’s a success, now we’re going to fight for the color of the medal”the coach stressed. Facing a team from Spain “formidable”according to the term used by Thierry Henry, it will be necessary to raise the level of play a little further to succeed the illustrious Olympic champions of 1984.