Saint Petersburg July 9 (IANS) France s record international goalscorer Thierry Henry will be presented with an awkward situation when his nation takes on neighbours Belgium his current employers in Tuesday s highly anticipated FIFA World Cup semi-final.
Having led his country s forward line for over 13 years during which he scored 51 goals helping win France s first ever World Cup in 1998 followed by the European Championship two years later few have ever been able to question the former striker s loyalty to Les Bleus cause reports Efe.
That position will be firmly challenged on Tuesday however as Henry prepares to take a seat in the opposite dugout.
Belgium s assistant coach since 2016 Henry has played a crucial role in helping Belgium s so-called "golden generation" reach their potential and mount a serious bid to take the World Cup home to Brussels.
The tournament s top scorers Belgium s talented front line featuring Romelu Lukaku Eden Hazard and Kevin de Bruyne as well as their attack-minded coach Roberto Martinez have attributed much of their recent success to Henry s invaluable experience.
"Thierry is someone who lives for football Martinez said this week. "He s a very very special guy. He brings to the table his experience as winner of a World Cup... that s golden for you to have" the Spaniard added.
Despite having won 123 caps for France Henry s sights this week have been firmly set on knocking out the country of his birth and helping his employers take the unprecedented step of reaching a World Cup final.

--IANS gau/sed