Thierry Henry has revealed that he hired a bodyguard for his daughter after getting death threats from Ireland fans over his infamous handball in 2009.
The former France striker became a villain for Ireland supporters when his handball allowed William Gallas to score in extra time of the World Cup qualifier play-off.
And speaking for the first time about the incident that cost Ireland a place at the tournament, Henry has told of the hate mail and death threats he received in the aftermath.
“I was the devil,” Henry said on the Robbie Fowler Podcast. “It’s OK. I accepted it. Am I proud of it? No! Do I get abused by the Irish fans sometimes? Yes, I do.
“It’s hard to take because this is not the type of player I am but when you have a bad instinct or reaction, it’s difficult to explain. I can’t explain it because it happens.
“This is where it becomes difficult and I’m not saying this for people to say ‘Oh my God!’ but after that, the abuse that I got – I received letters and death threats.
“My daughter had to go to school with a bodyguard for two weeks because I was scared – ‘We know where you live.’
“I was in Barcelona, don’t get me wrong, but my daughter was still here [London].
“I’m not trying to make this sound better than what it was because it happened but the impact that it has on your family sometimes, this is when it becomes difficult.”
