The Frenchman was fascinating during CBS’ coverage of the Champions League.
Last night’s Champions League encounter between AC Milan and Inter Milan was a truly special occasion.
A big European semi-final is always going to be, yet when it’s played between two fierce rivals who play in the same stadium, it’s always going to elevate the significance.
Neither team was able to prevent Napoli from securing a historic Serie A title but Milan were on hand to beat them in the Champions League semi-finals.
Sadly for them, it’s unlikely they’ll be in the final after Inter won the first leg 2-0.
It was a night that quite rightly warranted special attention from broadcasters, no less so than at CBS where Micah Richards, Thierry Henry and Jamie Carragher were all on top form as usual.
Among the hilarity of an interview with Paolo Maldini, there were moments of more serious debate, even if a certain Henry did have to be dressed in a crown and a robe for that to occur.
In a segment post-match, the Arsenal great was coronated as the CBS king for the day, and as such, had the freedom to pick five new rules he’d like to see in football.
What new rules does Thierry Henry want to see in football?
The first happened to be rather topical considering discussions in recent days surrounding how long each team has time wasted this term.
With that debate likely fresh in his mind, the former striker declared that any time clear and obvious time wasting that happened would be punished with a 25-yard free kick being given to the opposition to try and score from.
This is the real King!
(Along with Kenny!)Thierry Henry is 👑 for the day!#championsleague
— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) May 10, 2023
Anofher rule included the need for concussion substitutes while a player suffering from a head injury can be assessed thoroughly and not rushed back onto the pitch.
One more thing that Henry wanted to introduce was more clarity among referees for their decision making with the use of TV microphones being worn and mandatory post-match interviews for the officials being required .
Once a striker, it was unsurprising that the great Frenchman wanted to see good attacking play rewarded too, with an extra point being proposed for any team that score three or more goals in a game.
Perhaps the most interesting rule surrounded player recruitment, with the pundit saying: “The sporting director or whoever is in charge of recruitment at your club must do your research and due diligence.
“What I mean by that is you don’t buy a house without visiting it, you go in the morning, you go at night to hear the noise, and I’ve seen so many players arriving to places without anyone knowing if they could adapt at all to the place.
“So I’ll give you an example. The coach of the San Antonio Spurs went to Spain for two weeks to make sure a player was going to be the right fit for the Spurs because he was going to be the franchise’s marquee player.”
While some of the rules are quirky, others really make sense. It’s clear Henry has an excellent brain when it comes to football, but whether these rules become a reality, only time will tell.