Thierry Henry is chasing more than just gold at 2024 Paris Olympics

Henry knew he wanted to coach, so he took a few youth coaching and assistant roles to learn the ropes. Things went well, and Henry's profile grew as he toiled outside the spotlight. By the time he was announced as the head coach of AS Monaco in 2018, expectations for Henry were sky-high, which meant there was nowhere for him to go but down. Henry struggled with Monaco's underperforming players and was unceremoniously fired after just 20 games in charge.

It was a shocking turn of events for a man who had done nothing but succeed for decades. Henry picked up the pieces, taking on a low-pressure coaching gig with CF Montreal in MLS and building his brand as a television analyst, but it was clear he wanted a second stab at coaching. He got it with the French under-23 youth national team — a role that appeared small on paper but grew substantially larger due to the looming presence of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Men's Olympic soccer is functionally a youth tournament; it would be Henry, not senior men's coach Didier Deschamps, leading les bleus to a shot at a gold medal on home soil.

The world has fallen in love with Henry, not his stellar team, over the course of the tournament. Seeing him coach with the same grace he exhibited on the field has reminded many of what made Henry such a powerful presence in the past.

The timing couldn't be better. After over a decade at the helm of the French senior national team (and one World Cup win under his belt), Deschamps has announced his intention to step down. 

There is no shortage of candidates for the role — fellow French striking legend Zinedine Zidane is rumored to be interested — but Henry's dramatic Olympic popularity surge has placed him in pole position. That would've been unthinkable just a few short months ago.

But it's not just France searching for a new head coach. England has a vacancy, too; former leader Gareth Southgate stepped down this summer after a torrent of negative feelings from the local press. Henry spent the best years of his career in England playing for Arsenal and still has a lot of goodwill there.

The USMNT, too, needs an eye-catching coach. After years of Gregg Berhalter's conservative tactics, fans are hungry for a big name with an even bigger spirit, and Henry fits that profile to a T. He's also coached and played in MLS and is a mentor to USMNT striker Folarin Balogun.

When Henry's France takes the field on Friday against Spain, it won't just be playing for a gold medal. It'll be playing for Henry's international coaching future. Whether his journey takes him to France, England, the United States or beyond, we will surely see much more from him.