Thierry Henry is backing his French compatriot Michel Platini to become the next UEFA president in succession to Lennart Johansson.

Platini, 51, and Johansson, the 76-year-old Swede who has been in charge of European football's governing body since 1990 and is running for a fourth and final term, go head-to-head in January's election and Henry believes there should onlybeone winner.

"At the head of associations, you need people who can understand the game," said the Arsenal striker. "It can be a problem if the people who make the rules have never played the game at a serious level. For me it would be amazing to have someone like Michel to be president."