Thierry Henry was a star on the pitch for Arsenal and France and has continued to make an impression after retiring
Thierry Henry with Belgium in 2018
Thierry Henry made quite the impression as a coach(Image: AFP/Getty Images)
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The UEFA Nations League match between France and Belgium pits together two sides with ties to Thierry Henry. The Arsenal legend managed Les Bleus' Under-23 side to Olympic silver in 2024, having previously spent time on Roberto Martinez's coaching staff with the Belgian national team.
Henry achieved plenty during his own playing career, winning the World Cup and Champions League among other trophies. He still had a bit about him after hanging up his boots, too, if Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku is to be believed.
"I think, in the national team when you were there, I think for us the strikers we had maybe the best time we could ever had, because the competition was there," Lukaku told Henry during a video aired by Puma during the Covid-19 pandemic
"Everyone played at a high level, thanks to you. We constantly wanted to do better, outdo each other. And even you were joining in the competition! That was the funny part. You may have been retired, but it was not visible at times."
He added: "I remember when my brother [fellow Belgian international Jordan Lukaku] came and he was like you did this skill in training, I’m not going to say any names, but the player left the pitch.
"Jordan came to me and he said, 'Rom! I’ve seen some s*** today! Damn!' He was like, 'Damn man, that s*** was crazy!'"
Henry burst out laughing when hearing Lukaku retell the story. However, notably, he didn't claim any of the information was wrong.
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Romelu Lukaku, Jeremy Doku and Thierry Henry in Belgium training
Lukaku learned from Henry during Belgium training sessions(Image: BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images)
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Despite Henry's influence, Belgium's so-called golden generation never got beyond the semi-finals of a World Cup. They secured a third-place finish in 2018 but came up short against eventual champions France in the semis as Samuel Umtiti scored the only goal of the game.
The Red Devils reached the quarter-finals in 2026, losing to eventual world champions Spain. They parted ways with manager Rudi Garcia after the tournament, replacing him with former Netherlands international midfielder Mark van Bommel.
Van Bommel has overseen two wins and one defeat from his first three UEFA Nations League games. Belgium beat Turkey at home and Italy away without conceding but lost 1-0 at home to France.
The reverse fixture will take place at the Stade de France on Monday night and the winner will move one step closer to March's quarter-finals. Lukaku, who now plays for Fenerbahce, has a chance to add to his 94 international goals after coming off the bench to score against Turkey.
France have also made a change in the dugout since the World Cup and it's one of Henry's former international team-mates in charge. Zinedine Zidane has earned seven points from three games so far as he looks to help the team bounce back from their frustrating fourth-place finish in North America over the summer.