Thierry Henry has defended himself after criticism of the way he hosted Monday’s Ballon d’Or ceremony, describing the reaction as “people getting really excited about nothing”.
The former France and Arsenal forward came under fire for remarks he made towards Barcelona star Lamine Yamal, overall winner Harry Kane and co-host Kate Scott on the night. Henry, who presented the ceremony alongside his CBS Sports colleague Scott, joked with Lamine Yamal about winning a third successive young player of the year award. He also corrected Scott’s pronunciation of Brazil legend Socrates’ name and admitted he wanted fellow Frenchman Kylian Mbappe to beat Kane to the top prize.
Defending the Lamine Yamal joke
Henry addressed the Lamine Yamal exchange, which drew an audible reaction from the audience in attendance. On the night, he teased the 18-year-old about his young player award, saying: “It’s your third one, right? But is it the one you really wanted to win?”
Speaking in a social media video on Wednesday, Henry said he was not “checking his ego” and stressed his admiration for the young Spaniard. “I’m a big fan of Lamine Yamal. I wasn’t checking his ego at all – that you didn’t like the joke, I can understand,” he said. “But don’t do that, he’s one of the players I’d pay to watch, I love him.”
Responding to the Socrates pronunciation criticism
The 49-year-old also responded to criticism over his reaction to Scott’s pronunciation of “Socrates”, insisting she was in on the joke. “You didn’t like the joke, I understand, but please stop saying I disrespected Kate,” Henry said. “I will never do that and you can ask her, she was on the joke with me. She did Soc on purpose, and I said Soc, so please stop inventing stories.”
Backing Mbappe and praising Kane
Henry admitted he had wanted Mbappe to win, but he also made clear that Kane deserved the honour. He called Kane a “worthy winner” of the Ballon d’Or and urged people to “relax” after his support for Mbappe’s claim to the prize.
“I’m French and I was always going to back up and support my fellow countryman,” he said. “I said to [Kane], ‘You are a worthy winner, you deserve it, you are the example that work ethic is a talent, working hard is a talent’. Well done, Harry Kane – and I call him Sir Harry Kane since the World Cup.”
Henry concluded: “So please, people out there, relax, relax. I love Harry Kane, I love Lamine Yamal and I didn’t disrespect Kate. She was on the joke with me.”