France will come up against a familiar face when they take on foes Belgium for a place in the World Cup final on Tuesday.
And Les Bleus striker Olivier Giroud has admitted he would have preferred to have legendary compatriot Thierry Henry in their camp as opposed to opponents Belgium.
The former Arsenal and Barcelona striker is an assistant coach to Roberto Martinez in the Red Devils’ set-up and has worked closely with the forwards, who have played their part in helping the team reach the last four of the competition.
Henry’s loyalties will be stretched in the St Petersburg clash, though, as he is France’s all-time leading scorer with 51 career goals in 123 matches.
Chelsea forward Giroud, who ranks joint fourth on the list of marksman for the country alongside Zinedine Zidane on 31 goals, admits that he would rather Henry was giving him advice than Romelu Lukaku, who will likely lead the line for France’s opponents.
“I’d had preferred him to be with us and to be giving his advice to me,” confessed Giroud.
“He’s a living legend of French football and we have a lot of respect for him. We have a lot of respect for what he’s done, but we’re not going to think about it very much.
“I’m not jealous. There’s a lot of mutual respect. I don’t resent him. My job’s to be good on the pitch, to help my team. But I’d be proud to show Titi that he chose the wrong side.”
Meanwhile, Giroud thinks that going to Belgium was a natural step for the ex-Monaco, Juventus and NY Red Bulls hitman.
“He’s there to learn and to develop as a coach,” he added of Henry.
“Maybe one day he will be able to coach that France team. I’m sure he’s learning on a daily basis and giving good advice to the Belgians.”
