Henry opens up about battling depression throughout career

Thierry Henry has opened up about realising he "must have been in depression" during his career.

The 46-year-old former forward, who won the World Cup with France and is Arsenal's all-time highest scorer, says he had a moment early in the coronavirus pandemic where he was "crying almost every day".

Henry has linked that to his past and a search for approval, having grown up with a father who was critical of his performances.

Speaking on the Diary of a CEO podcast, Henry said: "Throughout my career and since I was born, I must have been in depression.

"Did I know it? No. Did I do something about it? No. But I adapted to a certain way. That doesn't mean I'm walking straight but I'm walking. You've got to put one foot [forward] and another one and walk. That's what I've been told since I'm young.

"I never stopped walking, then maybe I would have realised. [But during] Covid — I stopped walking. I couldn't. Then you start to realise."

Henry says he had a "cape" for when he "felt a struggle coming" during his playing career and that after retiring in 2014 he then was "trying to find a way to wear that cape".

He was on the Belgium coaching staff and managed Monaco before taking charge at Montreal Impact in late 2019 and he said: "Then Covid happened. I was in isolation in Montreal and not being able to see my kids for a year was tough."

Henry says at that time he was "crying almost every day for no reason", adding: "Tears were coming alone. Why I don't know but maybe they were there for a very long time.

"Technically, it wasn't me, it was the young me. [Crying for] everything he didn't get, approval."

Regarding his upbringing, Henry said his father was "very particular at times on how I was as a player", adding: "As a little boy it was always 'you didn't do that well'. So obviously when you hear that more often than not, that's what's going to stay."