Thierry Henry responds to gay footballer rumours: 'It would be great for the game'

As rumours continue to swirl that two top-flight English football stars are about to come out publicly, it seems they’ve already found at least one outspoken supporter in the form of former Premiership player-turned-commentator Thierry Henry.

After it was reported last weekend that an England international player and a Premier League star were planning to become the first active British players to come out publicly after telling their friends, family and clubs, Henry has told Sky News that the historic step would be “great” for the game.

Speaking to presenter Kay Burley, the former French international star said of the rumours: “I think it’s great, I think it’s great for the game, we’re going forward, it’s great for anyone, for any human being.

“If you are confident enough to come and say it and then live with it and embrace it, then do it.”

He continued: “I can’t talk for everyone, but if I was in a dressing room, that guy would still have been my team-mate, and I would still give him the ball, I will still see him the same way, I would still go out with him.

“We’re all human beings at the end of the day, so it doesn’t really bother me.”

The 38-year-old added that the media making a huge fuss of gay players was indicative of the problem itself, explaining that being gay is normal in society, so should be just similarly accepted in football without fanfare.

Casting his mind back to when former Leeds United star Robbie Rogers came out in 2013, he recalled: “And the first question, as you can imagine, everybody was asking me, I said: ‘For me it is not a problem, but making it a problem becomes a problem.'”

“Going around asking ‘do you think it’s right?’, ‘do you think it’s wrong?’, well, in the society we are living in, it’s OK. It’s normal. So why are we making it a problem? For me it’s not a problem. I can play with you… We are ultimately there to do a job.”

Following last weekend’s reports, Manchester United star Luke Shaw was quick to deny that he was one of the players concerned, saying everyone could “shut up now”. Of the potential backlash from fans to openly gay players, Henry said: “I would like to think that we’re not going to start to hear any stupid chants because… it would be very stupid at the end of the day.”

Meanwhile, a survey earlier this year revealed that 1 in 10 professional footballers personally knew a gay player – click here to find out more.

Watch Thierry’s interview on Sky News below:

Thierry Henry responds to gay footballer rumours: ‘It would be great for the game’

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