Arsenal and France legend Thierry Henry has spoken out about struggling with depression throughout his career and over his entire life.

The 46-year-old, who is now the manager of the France Under-21 team, said he managed to deal with the issue thanks to his playing and coaching career, but the Covid lockdowns left him ‘crying almost every day for no reason.’

Henry was a guest on the Diary of a CEO podcast and explained: ‘Throughout my career, and since I was born, I must have been in depression.

‘Did I know it? No. Did I do something about it? No. But I adapted to a certain way. That doesn’t mean I’m walking straight, but I’m walking.

‘You’ve got to put one foot [forward] and another one, and walk. That’s what I’ve been told since I’m young.

‘I never stopped walking, then maybe I would have realised. Covid I stopped walking. I couldn’t. Then you start to realise.

‘I was in isolation in Montreal, and not being able to see my kids for a year was tough.’

Henry was manager of MLS side Montreal Impact when Covid struck, leaving him isolated, but it was memories from his childhood that he believes were still causing him problems.

The former striker says his extremely demanding father left mental scars on him, which he still feels today.

‘Tears were coming alone. Why I don’t know, but maybe they were there for a very long time,’ he said. ‘Technically, it wasn’t me, it was the young me [crying for] everything he didn’t get: approval.

‘As a little boy it was always “You didn’t do that well”. So obviously when you hear that more often than not, that’s what’s going to stay.’