Former France international Thierry Henry has responded to criticism over his exchanges with Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal and presenter Kate Scott during the Ballon d’Or ceremony, maintaining that he had no intention of disrespecting either of them.
Henry, who co-hosted the event with Scott in London, United Kingdom, addressed the controversy in a video shared on his Instagram page on Tuesday, a day after the ceremony.
The former Arsenal and Barcelona striker faced backlash over a question he directed at Yamal following the teenager’s third consecutive Kopa Trophy win and a separate joke involving Scott during the presentation of the Socrates Award.
While some viewers accused Henry of embarrassing the Barcelona youngster and belittling his co-host, others argued that the exchanges were harmless jokes taken out of context.
The first incident occurred after Yamal retained the Kopa Trophy, awarded to the best young player in world football. Despite his achievement, the Spanish teenager missed out on the Ballon d’Or, the ceremony’s top individual honour.
Henry subsequently asked Yamal whether the Kopa Trophy was the award he had truly hoped to win, prompting criticism from viewers who felt the question drew unnecessary attention to his failure to claim the main prize.
Some social media users argued that the remark put the young forward in an awkward position and overshadowed his achievement. Others defended Henry, describing the exchange as friendly banter about the significance of the Ballon d’Or.
Responding to the criticism, Henry said he was not attempting to undermine Yamal’s confidence or belittle his accomplishment.
“I’m a big fan of Lamine Yamal. I wasn’t trying to check his ego whatsoever. If you didn’t like the joke, I understand,” Henry said.
He explained that his question was prompted by the fact that the announcement of the Ballon d’Or winner was yet to take place.
“I was simply asking if that was the trophy he really wanted because I knew the real prize was coming later,” he said.
Henry also expressed his admiration for the Barcelona forward, describing him as a footballer whose performances he particularly enjoys.
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“He’s actually one of those players I would pay to watch. I love him,” he added.
The former France captain also defended his interaction with Scott during the presentation of the Socrates Award, which honours the legacy of the late Brazilian football legend.
The controversy centred on a joke about the pronunciation of Socrates’ name, with some viewers interpreting Henry’s response to Scott as dismissive and disrespectful.
However, Henry maintained that Scott understood the joke and deliberately played along with the exchange.
“Kate was in on the joke with me, and you can ask Kate, by the way. She did it on purpose to say Socrates,” he said.
Rejecting claims that he had treated his co-presenter disrespectfully, Henry stressed that he would not intentionally undermine her.
“Please stop saying I disrespected Kate. I will never do that,” Henry added.
He acknowledged that some viewers might not have appreciated the humour but urged them not to interpret his remarks as deliberately malicious.
Henry’s response has added to the debate surrounding the two exchanges, with viewers remaining divided over whether the moments were inappropriate or simply jokes misunderstood by some members of the audience.