Henry replaces Jardim as manager and ‘cannot wait to meet’ Monaco players
Former France striker Thierry Henry was given his first head coaching role when Monaco appointed him on a threeyear deal to replace the sacked Leonardo Jardim, the Ligue 1 club announced on Saturday.
Henry, who started out playing for Monaco and went on to enjoy a stellar club career with Arsenal and Barcelona, has been working as assistant coach for the Belgian national team since 2016 but has never been in full charge of a team.
Henry, 41, played for Monaco for five seasons, winning a league title with them in 1997. “I thank AS Monaco for giving me the opportunity to coach the team of this club which is so special to me,” said Henry, who had previously been linked with Bordeaux and English second-tier side Aston Villa.
“I am extremely determined to meet the challenges ahead. I cannot wait to meet the players to start working together.”
Monaco, last season’s runners-up, are 18th in the 20-team Ligue 1 table after winning one of their first nine games.
They have also lost their opening two games in the Uefa Champions League.
But Jardim, who was sacked on Thursday, will still be a hard act to follow as Monaco never finished lower than third during his four-year spell in charge and won Ligue 1 in 2016/17 when they also reached the Champions League semi-finals. Chief executive Vadim Vasilyev welcomed Henry and said: “Thierry is both aware of the task ahead and eager to start his new job. He can count on our trust and all our support to bring a new dynamic to the team and carry out the mission.”
Henry left Monaco for one season at Juventus before moving to Arsenal where he won two Premier League and two FA Cup titles in eight seasons.
He won a Champions League title with Barcelona in three seasons and finished his career at New York Red Bulls. He scored 51 goals in 123 appearances for France and played at four World Cups, including the victorious 1998 campaign.