France fire World Cup shot - We'll show Thierry Henry he picked the wrong side

French disconnection - Thierry Henry and Belgium captain Vincent Kompany celebrate victory over Brazil. Photo / Getty Images

France want to show Thierry Henry, one of their greatest players, that he picked the wrong side in the World Cup.

The 40-year-old Henry, the Arsenal legend who won the World Cup with France in 1998, is an assistant to Belgium coach Roberto Martinez in Russia.

France and neighbours Belgium meet in Wednesday's semifinal at St Petersburg Stadium, and striker Olivier Giroud said: "There's a lot of mutual respect. I don't resent him.

"My job's to be good on the pitch, to help my team. But I'd be proud to show Titi that he chose the wrong side.

"He's a living legend of French football and we have a lot of respect for him.

"We have a lot of respect for what he's done, but we're not going to think about very much.

"I'd have preferred him to be with us and to be giving his advice to me."

Henry is France's top goalscorer with 51 from 123 matches, while Giroud — who Henry has criticised in the past — is fourth on the list.

Henry joined the Belgium camp in late 2016, after former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger told him he could not remain as the club's junior coach and also work as a football analyst on TV.

Belgium were seen as underachievers at that point, particularly after losing to Wales in the Euro 2016 quarter-finals. Martinez wanted Henry to develop a winning mentality, and draw more out of Belgium's forwards.