Two-time defending champion Spain and World Cup-holders Germany will be legitimate contenders for the European Championships, kicking off Friday, but host France will be the favorites according to both the oddsmakers and Thierry Henry, one of the biggest stars to ever grace Les Bleus — or New York.
Henry, who led France to World Cup and Euro titles, and the Red Bulls to the 2013 Supporters’ Shield, will work the Euros for the BBC. Asked by The Post to handicap the field, Henry tabbed France, Germany and Spain as top contenders, with his home country hoisting the trophy on July 10 in Paris.
“France will be good. It’s a long time we didn’t have a team like that. I repeat: a team like that,” Henry said. “Then we do have also in the team individuals that can win you the game. But we have a team, first and foremost. And if we somehow manage to get the crowd with us for the group stage, then who knows what can happen?
“We also usually have a team that will create a surprise. You don’t know who it’s going to be. But I will go with Germany, Spain or France. I’m French at the end of the day, so I will give the edge to France since they are playing at home.”
France won the 1984 Euros and 1998 World Cup on its home soil. Henry was the leading scorer in ’98, which helped heal the wounds of the country’s race riots. Recalling last November’s terror attacks at the Stade de France — the site of the Euro final — Henry told BBC1: “I’m hoping for the Euros to bring happiness to France. … With the Euros final in Paris, it might be the most important moment.”
This France side doesn’t have legends such as Michel Platini or Zinedine Zidane, as Henry’s team did, and it doesn’t have injured defender Raphael Varane. But Les Blues have young Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba, Atletico Madrid scorer Antoine Griezmann, Manchester United phenom Anthony Martial and that home-field edge they have used to such good advantage.
They will need it against Germany and Spain.
Though the Germans have lost players to retirement (Miroslav Klose, Philipp Lahm and Per Mertesacker) and injuries (Ilkay Gundogan and Marco Reus), and forward Lukas Podolski and midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger are aging, they still have stars Thomas Muller and Toni Kroos. Yet, despite Podolski, they haven’t finished as ruthlessly as they usually do in qualifying, a reason they recalled striker Mario Gomez.
“If you take the guys playing for Bayern Munich and the guys playing for Real Madrid and Barcelona, you have some of the best players right there playing for Spain and Germany,” Henry said.
“Germany, one thing that might let them down is they don’t have that recognized striker that they always used to have back in the day. They called Mario Gomez back for a reason. Before the World Cup, they called Klose back because they didn’t have a striker. So hopefully Gomez can be that guy for them again. But they don’t have that striker that they used to have before.”
It was a banner year for Spanish clubs (sweeping the Champions and Europa Leagues), but can the national team regain its form amid this transitional phase? The Spaniards still can keep possession with Andres Iniesta, but with David Villa at NYCFC, they need finishing from athletic Aritz Aduriz or smooth Alvaro Morata.
“Spain find themselves having a good balance again with Morata and Aduriz, because they can play long with Aduriz and Morata can run in behind,” Henry said. “So they have their choices of two styles of play.”
Perennially underachieving England, uber-talented Belgium, defensively sound Italy and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal are also in the mix. Sweden and Wales are intriguing just for Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Gareth Bale, respectively.