Rumors of shock and horror! Thierry Henry (Chinese director)? This is possible? I'm going to appoint Henri

Jul 16, 2025

Photo=Sky Sports

Some Chinese media are reporting that Thierry Henry has been nominated for the head coach of the Chinese national team.

Currently, the position of head coach of the Chinese national team is vacant. The Chinese Football Association replaced head coach Branko Ivankovic after China failed to reach the fourth qualifying round, let alone a ticket to the World Cup finals, in the third qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup in Asia. Dejan Zhurjevic, China's under-20 coach, was temporarily appointed in place of Ivankovic. \

Coach Djurjevic selected a large number of young Chinese players he coached and participated in the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship (East Asian Cup) in 2025, but the result was disastrous. China only won Hong Kong with a 1-0 victory. After the game, Chinese media reported that coach Djurjevic will not take the official leadership.

The shocking news that followed was Henri's trip to China. China's Sohu said on the 16th that the Chinese national soccer team will appoint France's young coach Thierry Henry as its new head coach. Henri has led France's Olympic team and finished second at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and is said to be complying with his overall leadership, according to the report.

As a player, Henri was a world-class player with excellent career and skills, and he was once one of the top superstars after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Henri is an idol even among Chinese national team players. His appointment as coach of the Chinese national team can be said to be a personnel appointment that meets the expectations of many fans. If Henri takes the helm, he will likely use young players as starting players without hesitation, he added.

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Henry is the world's top player. Only second place in the Ballon d'Or has won two awards. He was the king of the Premier League at Arsenal and also won the World Cup for the French national team. However, his career as a leader is unfortunate. Henri, who led the Belgium national team to the semifinals of the World Cup as its chief coach, took the helm of AS Monaco but was dismissed in four months. After that, he served as the head coach of the U.S. team and then returned to Belgium as the head coach. After finishing runner-up in the 2024 French Olympic team, he had a brief stint as a leader.

Although the transfer theory is not yet clear, Henri's trip to China will be news that will surprise the world. It is true that Henri is failing as a leader, but there was a lot of speculation that he might head to another European league club because he made up a little bit at the Olympics.

China is still skeptical of the news of Henri's appointment. Chinese media outlet Wang Yi said, `If you look at Henri's coaching career and ability, there will be no big problem for him to coach the Chinese national team. However, Henri's annual salary demand is so high that it is unclear whether the Chinese Football Association can afford to appoint him, he said, predicting that Henri will be difficult to appoint due to financial problems.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.