The trauma remains intact in Ireland. In November 2009, the French team validated its qualification for the 2010 World Cup after a famous play-off against Ireland. A match marked by the hand of Thierry Henry before the decisive goal scored by William Gallas in overtime.
Despite the regrets expressed by Thierry Henry over the years, the episode remains deeply anchored in the collective Irish memory. And almost two decades later, this historical frustration has come to the fore again in a way that is as unexpected as it is original.
A few weeks before the launch of the 2026 World Cup, organized from June 11 to July 19 in North America, New York City is preparing several symbolic events around the event. According to Radio-Canadasome elected officials wish to temporarily rename several intersections in the city in the name of great football legends.
An initiative that provokes a reaction
Among the figures mentioned are Pelé, who could be honored in Queens, but also Thierry Henry, whose name could be given to an intersection located between 50th Street and 6th Avenue, in the heart of Manhattan. At the origin of this initiative, elected official Virginia Maloney underlines the strong links between the former French striker and New York, where he has partly lived for several years after his time with the New York Red Bulls.
But the idea is far from unanimous among part of the American-Irish community, still marked by the 2009 dam. “He broke my heart. This is a bad idea”, “I don’t want to speak for all of Ireland, but at the time I felt rage”,
“It’s a low blow, a blow below the belt” : reactions have been multiplying for several days, proof that the memory still remains very sensitive for many Irish supporters. It now remains to be seen whether this future Thierry Henry Way will actually see the light of day this summer, while other names of football legends could still be proposed before the city council vote.
