2024-01-08 16:38:29
“Throughout my career and since birth, I must have been depressed.” These are words that we are not used to hearing from high-level athletes or former athletes, even if their words have become more and more open in recent years on this subject. These, in this case, came from the mouth of a well-known personality of French sport: Thierry Henry, 1998 world champion, former record holder for the number of goals for the French team and absolute legend of the Arsenal club. .
In a nearly 2 hour episode of the podcast “The Diary of a CEO”, (the diary of a CEO) by the English entrepreneur Steven Bartlett, the coach of the Espoirs swept away a large number of subjects relating to his career and his personal and private life, and in particular his report to mental health. He opened up about his relationship with his father, who he never hid that he had been excessively demanding of him to the point that it shaped his personality. “I always sought his approval,” says Henry. So much so that until not so long ago, my whole life was dedicated to pleasing others. »
Thierry Henry (EXCLUSIVE): “I Cried Every Single Day”, Dealing With Depression, My Childhood Trauma & Fighting For My Dad’s Love!
I had the pleasure of sitting down with one of the Gods of the game – Thierry Henry.
During our conversation, we discussed things that he’s never… pic.twitter.com/COSMAEvcvi
— Steven Bartlett (@StevenBartlett) January 8, 2024
“When I was young, I didn’t receive a lot of love and affection,” he continues, still talking about his father. The first time he held me, my father said to me: This baby will be a great football player. From then on, I was programmed for success. My father took complete control of my body and it was difficult. »
“When I hear people talk about depression, it clicks with me”
A format that gave us the player and the man we knew, always in search of perfection. “I was never happy when I scored,” he confides again. Above all, off the field, where he explains having felt symptoms close to depression. “When I hear people talk about depression, it clicks with me,” he says. I’m a human being, I have feelings. During my career, I must have been depressed. Did I know it? No. Did I do anything about this? No way. But I adapted. That doesn’t mean I walk straight, but I walk. This is what I was taught since I was little. »
In this episode, he also talks about how Covid changed him on a human level, his decision to leave the CF Montreal bench in particular for family reasons. “Something like that had to happen to me to understand vulnerability, empathy, crying. That emotions are normal, but you shouldn’t let them overwhelm you. During confinement, I cried almost every day, for no reason. The tears came on their own. Maybe they had been there for a very long time. It was weird, but in a good way. I couldn’t hide it. »
He also tells an anecdote about the moment he realized his football career was over. Suffering from recurring Achilles tendon injuries towards the end of his career, he explains: “One day, I’m at home with my daughter, she comes up to me, touches me and says to me: you’re the cat!, and she started running. I wanted to run, but I couldn’t. She was running and I couldn’t move. That’s when I knew I couldn’t take the pain anymore. You have to love pain to be an athlete. »
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