Ex-France star opens up on mental health struggles after Arsenal exit and divorce
Thierry Henry has opened up on the “emotional shock” he endured after he left Arsenal to join Spanish giants Barcelona in the summer of 2007.
The former France international broke the hearts of the Gunners fanbase when he confirmed he would be leaving north London after eight historic years to ply his trade in La Liga.
The switch was far from easy for Henry, who was still recovering from a lengthy injury and also in the process of a divorce from his first wife Claire Merry.
The couple had one child together in May of 2005, their daughter Téa, before Henry paid nearly £10m as a divorce settlement, just over four years after they first tied the knot, according to The Mirror report.
“I arrived injured, I’m going through a divorce, I have to learn a new system, you mix it all up, keep playing the mind.”
The two-time Premier League winner claimed that taking an open, honest approach to discussing mental health was “taboo” at the time of his own struggles.
“In my time it was much more difficult, totally taboo. Even in the group,” he added. “You came to the locker room: ‘Are you OK? Yes, even if things weren’t going well.
“Did you sleep well? Yes, even if it wasn’t. Are you in pain? No, even if you were in pain.”
While Henry’s honours list is all the better for having joined Barcelona, he struggled to make the same kind of impact at the Camp Nou as he did in north London, sharing the attacking spotlight with Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto’o and Ronaldinho.
The Frenchman won two La Liga titles as well as one Copa Del Rey crown, as well as his prized possession, the 2009 Champions League – which offered vindication to his Arsenal exit.
Four years in MLS followed with New York Red Bulls, before Henry briefly returned to his beloved Arsenal on loan in January 2012.
He picked up where he left off by scoring the only goal of the game on his second debut just 12 minutes after coming on.
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Henry, who now spends much of his time working as a pundit, both in the UK and France, as well as operating as assistant coach of Belgium under Roberto Martinez, this week spoke also about Neymar’s recent displays for PSG, admitting that he is worried about Neymar’s mental health.
“When you analyse an action and he doesn’t position himself properly, okay, that’s a fact and it must be said. Yes, he is a little worse than he has been, but there are reasons,” Henry told L’Equipe .
“Neymar has often talked in his recent interviews about his well-being, about the pressure, so my first thought is: ‘Is he ok?’. It’s not about that he no longer does nutmegs, sombreros, or about the fact that he doesn’t beat people with his pace anymore.
“He talks, but can you hear him? He’s asking for help – there are things happening in his head, just like any other human being.”