The former Lyonnaise, who could play her third World Cup, has returned to the France team after two and a half years of absence.
“Resigned” by two and a half years of sidelining the Blue, Amandine Henry recounts this period when she lost “the spark” and thought of stopping her career before coach Hervé Renard turns on her home “a glimmer of hope” by calling him for the Mondial. “He gave me confidence” When “I was in the hole”says the ex-captain in an interview with AFP, two days after the start of the first internship which should lead the Blues in a month to the World Cup in New Zealand and Australia (July 20 to August 20) .
What was your first reaction when you heard your name in the list for the World Cup after two and a half years of absence?
Amanda Henry: It was a great pride. I said to myself, this is it, finally! I was super happy. Coming back here was moving because it’s been almost three years… A lot has happened.
What did this long absence bring you mentally?
I learned that you could be at the top of the poster and then at the bottom overnight, that nothing is certain, that you have to question yourself. But also that you should never give up because anything can happen.
Have you lost hope?
Yes, of course. I had resigned myself. I said to myself, that’s how it is, that’s life. I suffered. I wondered. Am I still level? Wouldn’t I be better off stopping my career? What am I going to do after? Winning with Les Bleues was one of my dreams. We had to find another dream. It was also a disappointment for me to tell myself that maybe I was going to end my career like that.
Have you really thought about hanging up your cleats?
Yes. The France team is what inspires you on a daily basis. There’s the club, the championship, but I’ve been playing in D1 for 16 years… At some point, it’s true that there was no longer that spark. That’s when you say to yourself, isn’t it time [d’arrêter] ? I was lucky to have my relatives, my friends, my family, my boyfriend who helped me through this period. I also called on a mental trainer because it was not easy. And gradually, we regain our taste. It’s the little things of everyday life: regaining a taste for going to training, winning matches, hurting yourself, being part of a team.
Did the arrival of Hervé Renard help you rediscover that spark?
This is where I had the click. With a new coach, it was now or never. If I didn’t come back there, I would never have come back. I thought to myself that it was a chance to be seized. When we had our first contacts, he gave me confidence. And when a coach gives you his trust, you want to die on the pitch for him. He is a coach who wants, and that changes everything.
He had invited you to the stands from his first match in April. What has this awakened in you?
We can believe that it is a small thing, to attend a match… But for me, it was huge because I was in the hole. It was like a ray of hope, it was great for me. Even if I hadn’t been on the list in the end, it was already a sign of confidence, a sign that he was giving me a chance.
You were one of the first to have publicly mentioned the dysfunctions in the France team under the leadership of Corinne Deacon, which may have cost you your place. But it took almost three years for other players to take their turn. Is there any regret over this situation?
No, you should never regret in life. We must assume. I made the choice to speak, I assumed it, and it was not easy… But I think it was necessary. It took time, yes, but these are tough decisions to make. We saw the damage it could do when I started talking (laughs) ! I understand that could have been scary.
You haven’t played since March after a dispute with Lyon, pending your signing at Angel City, USA. Do you regret this epilogue?
You have to take on everything in life. Already, I had a knee alert, it could have been worse, I could have done my cruciate ligaments and ended my career on it. I’m lucky to be selected, to potentially be able to make a World Cup. I tell myself that all this did not happen by chance.