Thierry Henry thinks Franck Ribery can surprise France’s opponents at the World Cup, and urges coach Raymond Domenech to pick him.
”He carries the expectations of a nation,” Henry said on Sunday.
”It is not easy. But I think he has the talent to do it. He is our trump card.”
Henry knows the feeling. He was a little-known player with Monaco when he ended up playing in every match when France won the tournament in 1998.
He feels Marseille’s Ribery, who made his debut as a substitute in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Mexico, can have a great influence during the World Cup in Germany.
”You saw straight away. He is not scared, he wants the ball, he wants to attack every time,” Henry said at the team’s training camp. ”For a defender, it is a nightmare, because every time he gets the ball he turns and attacks you.”
Although only on the field for 16 minutes, Ribery’s foraging runs from the right wing created chances for Alou Diarra and Djibril Cisse, and had the Mexico defence on the back foot.
”He doesn’t care what the score is, he doesn’t calculate, all he wants to do is come on the field and create chaos,” Henry added. ”I appreciate players like that, because I like players who go forward all the time.”
During Sunday’s training session, Ribery and Henry began by training alone, passing the ball to each other with neat flicks.
Henry stood in apparent awe at one Ribery trick, when he took down a high ball and rolled the ball along the back of his leg before trapping it with his heel.
Ribery was voted the best young player in the French league, but has no Champions League experience. However, Henry thinks it is this surprise factor which could unsettle teams.
”That is his advantage, because when a defender does not know someone he can get caught out,” Henry said. ”You can take the ball off him nine times, but he’ll still attack you the 10th time. I get the impression Ribery has been with the team for 10 years.”
Ribery, who has been linked with a move to five-time French champion Lyon, is confident of doing well in Germany.
”I think I can be more than a luxury player,” he said. ”It is up to me to do the maximum with my speed and dribbling and create panic in the defence.” – Sapa-AP