Henri Holgard was born on 17 December 1884 in Quevauvillers.[4] He began his career at Olympique Lillois in 1902, aged 18, and he played there until 1903.[5]
He received his first international call-up in May for a friendly against the Netherlands, but he failed to leave the bench.[citation needed] He was playing football at Amiens SC when he was selected by France to participate in the football tournament of the 1908 Summer Olympics in London. France sent two teams to the Olympics, and Holgard was deemed to play for the B team, starting in the first-round match against Denmark, which ended in a 0–9 loss.[1][2][6][7]