Club CF Montreal announced on Thursday that Thierry Henry will step down as head coach for family reasons.
“It is with great regret that I have decided to make this decision,” Thierry Henry said in the MLS club’s statement.
“The past year was extremely difficult for me personally. I couldn’t see my children because of the global pandemic. Due to the ongoing restrictions and the fact that we will have to move back to the United States for a few months, that will unfortunately be no different.
“The divorce is too much of a strain for me and my children. It is therefore with great sadness that I have to make the decision to return to London and leave CF Montreal. I want to thank the fans, the players and all the staff for this. club that made me feel so welcome.
“I also want to thank Kevin Gilmore, Olivier Renard and of course Joey and the whole Saputo family for giving me this great opportunity. We had an impossible year together and reaching the playoffs with this group of people is an experience I will never forget. Thank you all for being there on this journey and I wish you every success for the future ”, said the former French forward.
“Thierry’s departure is regrettable and premature because it was promising, but he told me he wanted to go back to his family because the situation was and remains very difficult for him and his family,” said CF Montréal sporting director Olivier Renard.
“I want to thank him, first of all on a human level, because last year he set an example for the players by being away from his family, but also on a sporting level and for what we have built together since his arrival. We wanted to take this club to the next level and we are on the right track. The process of finding a new head coach is already underway and I will be looking for someone who matches the philosophy we have implemented.
Thierry Henry was named head coach on November 14, 2019. In 2020, he led the team to the MLS playoffs for the first time since the 2016 season after a record eight wins, 13 losses and two draws in a regular season. pandemic that only includes three games at Stade Saputo. Under his leadership, the team had also reached the quarter-finals of the Concacaf Champions League.