 Henry is of Antillean heritage : his father , Antoine , is from Guadeloupe ( La Désirade island ) , and his mother , Maryse , is from Martinique . He was born and raised in Les Ulis suburb of Paris which , despite sometimes being seen as a tough neighbourhood , provided good footballing facilities . As a seven @-@ year @-@ old , Henry showed great potential , prompting Claude <unk> to recruit him to the local club CO Les Ulis . His father pressured him to attend training , although the youngster was not particularly drawn to football . He joined US Palaiseau in 1989 , but after a year his father fell out with the club , so Henry moved to ES <unk> @-@ Châtillon and played there for two years . US Palaiseau coach Jean @-@ Marie Panza , Henry 's future mentor , followed him there . 
