Thierry Henry has defended himself after criticism of the way he hosted Monday’s Ballon d’Or ceremony, saying people were “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 was presenting the ceremony alongside his CBS Sports colleague Scott.
Lamine Yamal joke
Henry joked with Lamine Yamal about winning a third successive young player of the year award. He teased the Spaniard by saying: “It’s your third one, right? But is it the one you really wanted to win?” The remark drew an audible reaction from the audience in attendance.
In a social media video on Wednesday, Henry said he was not “checking his ego” and stressed his admiration for the young player. “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.”
Socrates pronunciation
Henry also responded to criticism over how he handled Scott’s pronunciation of Brazil legend Socrates’ name, which he corrected on air. The 49-year-old insisted that Scott was in on the joke. “You didn’t like the joke, I understand, but please stop saying I disrespected Kate,” he 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.”
Support for Mbappe and praise for Kane
Henry admitted he wanted fellow Frenchman Kylian Mbappe to beat Kane to the top prize. He explained that his support came from national loyalty. “I’m French and I was always going to back up and support my fellow countryman,” he said.
Henry nonetheless described Kane as a “worthy winner” of the Ballon d’Or. “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’,” he said. “Well done, Harry Kane – and I call him Sir Harry Kane since the World Cup.”
He ended his message by urging viewers to calm down. “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.”