Former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry has revealed that he believes he “must have been in depression” during his playing career.
The 46-year-old opened up about his mental health struggles on the Diary of a CEO podcast.
“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,” the France U-21 coach stated.
Henry previously worked on Belgium’s coaching staff and managed Monaco before taking charge at Montreal Impact in late 2019.
Henry disclosed that there was a challenging period early in the coronavirus pandemic where he found himself “crying almost every day.”
“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 – [if I had] then maybe I would have realized [about health struggles]. Covid – I stopped walking. I couldn’t. Then you start to realize,” he explained.
Henry, who spent time in isolation in Montreal, spoke about the emotional toll of not being able to see his kids for a year during the pandemic. “Tears were coming alone. Why, I don’t know, but maybe they were there for a very long time.”
The former Juventus, Monaco, and Barcelona striker suggested that his relationship with his father, who was critical of his performances, may have played a role in his struggles.
“He was very particular at times on how I was as a player. As a little boy, it was always ‘you didn’t do that well,'” Henry revealed. “So obviously when you hear that more often than not, that’s what’s going to stay.”
Henry scored a club record 228 goals in 377 games for the Gunners and achieved World Cup glory in 1998 and Euro 2000 with France.