Thierry Henry congratulates France players
It was a night of very mixed emotions for Thierry Henry as the nation of his birth reached the World Cup final - and the country he coaches were eliminated.
Henry, World Cup winner in 1998 with Les Bleus, is assistant coach to Roberto Martinez, manager of Belgium.
France beat Belgium 1-0 in Saint Petersburg on Tuesday evening to reach their third World Cup final in the past six tournaments.
At the final whistle, there were congratulations and commiserations for and from Henry as he hugged and spoke with players on both sides.
Before the match, Henry was being equally social, chatting with French players and embracing the opposition manager, Didier Deschamps.
Deschamps and Henry were team mates together in France ‘98, when the hosts beat Brazil in Paris to lift what is currently their only major tournament trophy.
Henry’s expertise saw him hired to assist Roberto Martinez in the Belgian dug-out
During the national anthems, Henry stood with his head bowed in respectful silence through both La Marseillaise Brabanconne.
Henry, unlike Deschamps and other former French internationals, was not asked to be part of the France coaching set-up Belgium, and Martinez, came to him first.
His knowledge of the game, so eloquently expressed as a pundit on Sky Sports, helped Belgium qualify for the World Cup unbeaten and win all five of their matches in Russia - until the semi-final.
There Samuel Umtiti ensured France will face England or Croatia in the final - and Henry is left to support his home country from his sofa. and La