A World Cup and European championship winner, Henry confirmed his expected retirement from international duty after deciding to quit European club football for a fresh start in the United States with Major League Soccer's New York Red Bulls.
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"I had decided to retire, in my head, before the World Cup," he told a news conference at the Red Bulls' complex in suburban New York.
"I just didn't want to announce it before the World Cup.
"This is just another thing for me to do. I am 100 percent committed to the cause here and that's what I wanted to do."
"I wanted to be able to come here and be available for the boss," he said.
"When he wants me to train, I will train. When he wants me to have a day off, I'll have a day off.
"I couldn't see myself going back and forth."
Although his career ended in anti-climax with the French team bundled out of last month's World Cup amid rumours of disharmony between the players and team officials, Henry will be remembered as one of France's most accomplished strikers who enjoyed success at both club and international level.
He played in six of France's seven games in their 1998 World Cup victory on home soil, scoring three first-round goals, but stayed on the bench for the 3-0 final victory over Brazil.
Henry also landed a swag of personal awards, having been named the Football Writers' Player of the Year on three occasions, before leaving Britain in 2007 to join Barcelona, where he enjoyed even more prosperity as he won Spanish, European and World Club titles.
