He spoke about concrete. About the streets on the outskirts of Paris where he himself learned to kick the ball before becoming an Arsenal legend and world champion.
“We will never be able to beat street football, on concrete. Many of our best players come from the outskirts of Paris. We grew up playing raw football, in the street”.
Mbappé, Pogba, Kanté… all with the same roots: the neighborhood, the hard asphalt, the worn-out ball. Henry summed it up better than any tactical analysis: it is raw, unfiltered football, forged far from perfect pitches.