Invest in academies, Thierry Henry tells football chiefs

Legendary french footballer Thierry Henry answers questions at a media briefing at Villa Rosa Kempinski, Nairobi on December 15, 2017. PHOTO | MARTIN MUKANGU |

What you need to know:

  • Henry who was referred to as ‘Va va voom’ by Arsenal supporters owing to his exceptional pace, is in Nairobi on a two-day visit organised by Guinness.

Legendary footballer Thierry Henry has stressed on the importance of investing in academies to lure and educate the up and coming talents.

The 40-year-old Frenchman, who starred for Arsenal, Barcelona and the French national team during a successful playing career, also singled out respected ex-African internationals George Weah and Abedi Pele, hailing them as some of the best African stars he’s ever watched.

Now an assistant coach of the Belgium national team and a famed TV pundit in England, Henry who was referred to as ‘Va va voom’ by Arsenal supporters owing to his exceptional pace, is in Nairobi on a two-day visit organised by Guinness.

Yesterday, he graced the ‘Made of Black’ launch at a Nairobi hotel, an occasion where a partnership between the giant alcohol manufacturer and celebrated Kenyan referee Tabitha Wamboi was launched.

He also attended a football camp at the KCB Sports Club, Ruaraka and impacted tips on selected aspiring footballers before meeting Kenyan legend Joe Kadenge.

“I will always be grateful to the football academy I attended. That is where I was taught how to play football. People forget you need a brain to play the game,” said Henry.

“At Clairefontaine (in France) I developed my brain on the game. (While there) We were not allowed to tackle in some games. In others there were strict instructions that we could only pass forward. Sometime, the coaches would only insist that we score from crosses.”

Besides Henry who won the Fifa World Cup, Euros, Uefa Champions League and English Premier League titles, Clairefontaine is famed for developing several successful French star players such as Nicolas Anelka, David Trezeguet, William Gallas, Louis Saha and most recently, Paris Saint-Germain sensation Kylian Mbappe.

In contrast, Kenyan football continues to suffer, owing to a lack of recognised academy to properly nurture the tens of thousands of young talents who are interested in making a successful career out of football.

However, Football Kenya Federation have set up Under-13 and Under-17 leagues from which they hope to select junior national team players for nurturing.

Henry, who is expected to mingle with football fans while watching the English Premier League game pitting Arsenal and Newcastle at Ngong road this afternoon, also defended his old boss and current under-fire manager Arsene Wenger, despite the two having fallen out recently in a move that led to the former Juventus player quitting his role as the club’s academy coach.

"Nobody should criticise his legacy. He is the best in the club's history," Henry said of his fellow Frenchman.