Thierry Henry (EXCLUSIVE): "I Cried Every Single Day", Dealing With Depression, My Childhood Trauma & Fighting For My Dad's Love!

Thierry Henry (0:00)

I was lying for a very long time because society wasn't ready to hear what I had to say. But I will be honest with you, I was...

Throughout my career, I must have been in depression. Did I do something about it? No. But to understand the person that I became, you have to understand what happened early. When I was young, I didn't see a lot of love, affection, hugging. My dad, the first time he took me in his arms, said, this baby will be an amazing football player. From that point, I was programmed to succeed. My dad took control of my body and it was tough. One day, we played a game. I was 13 years old. We won the game 6-0. I scored the six goals. But it was always what I didn't do. You miss that control, you miss that cross, you miss that this, you miss that that, and it can make you or break you. I decided it was going to make me. I wasn't scared of failure. You're going to fail. That's what shapes you. But I was more scared not to please people.

Steven Bartlett (1:00)

Even when you were playing at Arsenal and you were winning Golden Boots and the invincibles, you were still trying to please your dad.

Thierry Henry (1:05)

Yeah.

Steven Bartlett (1:06)

But were you happy?

Thierry Henry (1:10)

Oof. For so long, you think what you're doing is to please others. Football, money. We have a roof, but then I was about to leave again. My girlfriend, the kids, everybody starts to cry. And for the first time, I realized they were crying for me. Not the football player, not the accolades. And I felt human.

Steven Bartlett (1:29)

If I was watching you, what would I have seen?

Thierry Henry (1:32)

Me crying almost every day. But it was the young Thierry.

Steven Bartlett (1:37)

What was he crying for? To understand a man, I know that you have to understand his context, especially his early context. I think we're all products of our earliest context. I certainly am. And having spent a very small amount of time with you, I know you are as well. What is that early context that people need to know to understand a man that sits in front of me today?

Thierry Henry (2:13)

I will second what you just said. I think you need to understand the struggles of someone to know exactly what the person is and what the person is about.

So many things that we can start with. I grew up in a modest household. If I can say that, for me at the time, it was the best because I couldn't compare it to anything. I grew up with diversity. I grew up with... There is food on the table, so therefore, I love you. I take care of you, so therefore, I love you. It wasn't so much communicated by hugs, by I love you, by a well-done. More often than not, it was more something that I didn't do that was raised. Being from the Caribbean, my parents came early to France, which they called it the continent. It is still France because they are French islands, Guadeloupe and Martinique, but we always say going to France. It was the dream for that era to go to the continent, to go to France, to have a better life, to try to make sure that we could have a better life. But when you grew up there, you know, you dream of going to France because it's better, because it's like in bracket the American dream, which actually it is the French dream. I'm sure it was the same for you. When you arrive in France, make sure you don't make any mistakes. Make sure they don't come to us and say, oh, those guys from the Caribbean, you know, they just arrive and, you know, so don't speak Creole. Make sure you speak French well. Don't do this. Don't do that. We need to fit in. We don't want to get sent back to the Caribbean. We want to keep the house that we have. We want to keep the job that we have. Always that fear of getting sent back. Not so much for me because I was born in France, but they always had that chip on their shoulder of make sure you don't make any mistakes. I don't want anyone to say that my son was this, my son was that. Don't bring any problem, you know. We came here to work. We came here to have a better life. So please, do not spoil it. Kind of. So you always feel like you need to fit in and not belong.