Thuram on life under Tudor at Juventus and relationship with ‘incredible’ Henry

GENOA, ITALY – AUGUST 31: Khéphren Thuram of Juventus greets the crowd during a warm-up session prior to kick-off in the Serie A match between Genoa CFC and Juventus FC at Luigi Ferraris Stadium on August 31, 2025 in Genoa, Italy. (Photo by Simone Arveda/Getty Images)

Juventus midfielder Khephren Thuram has revealed what it is like to work under Igor Tudor on a daily basis, has spoken about his relationship with the ‘incredible’ Thierry Henry, and the lessons he has picked up from his brother and father, Marcus and Lilian Thuram. 

Khephren Thuram was a guest on CBS Sports’s Morning Footy earlier this week, where he spoke about a number of topics, including the recent Derby d’Italia victory over Inter and what it was like to go up against his brother as a rival. 

Thuram on life under Tudor at Juventus: ‘He has fun with us’

Juventus currently sit in second place in the Serie A standings with three wins and a draw, totalling 10 points from four matches at the start of the 2025-26 league campaign. 

“We’re having a pretty good start,” Thuram said of Juventus’s unbeaten run. 

“We know the coach well because he was with us last year and for the (Club) World Cup. I think the World Cup was important for us to be all together, to learn how to work together. It’s pretty good what we’re doing right now and we still have work to do so we hope it’s going to get better.” 

Thuram was asked what type of coach Tudor is, and what it is like to work under him on a daily basis at Juventus.

TURIN, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 13: Igor Tudor, Head Coach of Juventus, celebrates with Kenan Yildiz after the team’s victory in the Serie A match between Juventus FC and FC Internazionale at Allianz Stadium on September 13, 2025 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)He replied: “We work a lot physically, we work a lot tactically. He prepares the games very well and when we get on the pitch, it’s easier for us, we know what to do. 

“I think he’s a really close manager, he speaks a lot with us. When it’s time to have fun, he has fun with us, but when it’s time to work, he works. I think he has that good balance.

“Because he’s really close to us, he can ask a lot from us and we’re going to do it, because we know it’s for our good. 

Thuram on relationship with Henry: ‘I don’t see him as a coach’

Thuram, whose father was a teammate of Thierry Henry’s for club and country, has twice been coached by the former Arsenal, Barcelona and Juventus star – Once at club level with Monaco, and once with the France Olympic team. 

The Juventus midfielder has explained that it was strange to work under such a close family friend at first, given that he doesn’t ‘see him as a coach’. 

“I really have a good relationship with him,” Thuram said. “When he was at Monaco, it was kind of weird for me because it was the first time I was in a professional group and he was my first coach, but I don’t see him as a coach, so it was kind of weird. 

“But then I had the second experience with him with the Olympic team, it was great because I knew how to be around him, I knew how to respect his coach’s side, but I knew that when we weren’t on the field, we could have that relationship that we always had. 

“He’s been great to me since I was a kid. He always helps me: He helps me with soccer, he helps me with life, he’s an incredible guy.” 

And what are Henry’s skills like these days? 

“Of course he can still play. He’s great. His touch is great, his finishing is great, maybe his physical ability is not the same as before because he’s older. The way he understands the game is crazy. His mind is …. Seriously, I’ve never seen someone like that.” 

And what was it like to grow up in and around the Barcelona dressing room when his father was playing alongside the likes of Henry, Ronaldinho, Xavi and Andres Iniesta? 

“It was great because I would go training with him, I’d go in the dressing room with him. Being around his teammates was, to be honest at the time it wasn’t like a dream, it was just being around them. But now, when I look at the pictures, when I think about it, it was a great moment. I was next to incredible players without even knowing I was with them.” 

And what has he learned from his father’s experiences? 

“I didn’t see his sacrifices, but speaking to him now, I see how hard he was working at the time.

“Because my brother and I are four years apart, I can see the sacrifices, the work that he had to do and it helped me. ‘He does that, so I must do that, or I must do it better’. I’m always trying to improve, work hard, but because I see what my brother is doing, it helps me a lot.”