Thierry Henry Tells Critics to Relax Over Yamal Joke and Socrates Row

• Thierry Henry, 49, answered the backlash to his Ballon d’Or hosting in an Instagram video, saying “relax, relax, I love Harry Kane, I love Lamine Yamal” (per Daily Mail).
• Henry says he was not checking Lamine Yamal’s ego when he asked whether the Kopa Trophy was the one Yamal really wanted.
• Henry says co-host Kate Scott was in on the Socrates joke and that his Kylian Mbappe remark to Harry Kane was context.

Henry Says Three Moments From Ballon d’Or Night Were Misread

Thierry Henry has a message for the people criticising his Ballon d’Or hosting: relax. The 49-year-old former Arsenal forward and World Cup winner recorded a video for Instagram after a day of online complaints about Monday’s ceremony, which Harry Kane won. In it he says the fuss was about nothing. He was not checking Lamine Yamal’s ego, he did not disrespect his co-host Kate Scott, and his words to Kane about Kylian Mbappe were only context. Three exchanges on the night drew the heat.

The Three Moments That Drew the Heat

Henry shared the stage with Scott, his CBS colleague. The first flashpoint came when Yamal collected the Kopa Trophy for the best young player. Henry asked the 19-year-old whether it was the one he really wanted, an implication that Yamal had his eye on a greater award. Yamal was then regarded as a favourite for the Ballon d’Or. He grinned as the audience laughed, brushed off the joke and suggested that his Spain and Barcelona teammate Pau Cubarsi would have been a more worthy winner. He also dodged the question in his native Spanish.

The second came when Scott announced the Socrates award, which went to Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka, in the style of the Greek philosopher. Henry stepped in. “What do you mean Socrates?” he asked, adding “We don’t have any philosophers here”. The joke failed to land with fans, and Henry says critics accused him of disrespecting his co-host.

The third came after Kane’s acceptance speech. Henry told the England captain he was “always going to back up” Mbappe, Kane’s rival for the top prize. Kane listened and accepted the compliment with thanks, to widespread applause.

Henry’s Answer to Each One

On Yamal, Henry says it was the third time Yamal was taking home the Kopa Trophy, so he asked if it was the one he really wanted. He knew, he says, that the real prize was still to come. “I wasn’t checking his ego at all,” he said. “That you didn’t like the joke, I can understand.” He called Yamal “one of the players I’d pay to watch, I love him”.

On Scott, Henry points viewers to her. He says she mispronounced Socrates on purpose, and that he then supplied the other pronunciation. He says the line was written into the script. He would never disrespect her, he says, and fans can ask her people. His request to critics was “so please stop inventing stories”.

On Kane, Henry says the Mbappe line needs context. Kane teased him in a CBS interview after the game between Bayern Munich and Arsenal for supporting Mbappe. Henry says he told Kane that as a Frenchman he was always going to back a fellow countryman. He says he then told Kane “you are a worthy winner, you deserve it”, and called him the example of a simple idea: “work ethic is a talent, working hard is a talent”. Henry adds that he has called Kane “Sir Harry Kane” from the World Cup onwards.

Anger Beyond the Hosts

Henry was not the only target of online anger. Fans also labelled the behaviour of Mbappe, Yamal and last year’s winner Ousmane Dembele as disrespectful. A video taken moments after Kane was named the best footballer in the world shows Mbappe and Dembele failing to stand up to shake his hand.

Henry closed his video with a sign-off: “Have a good night, see you soon.”

WRITTEN BY

George Howson

George Howson is a Futbol Chronicle contributor and accredited journalist with over 20 years of experience following international football. A member of the AIPS International Sports Press Association, George has covered matches at stadiums around the world, bringing deep knowledge and first-hand insight to every match report and analysis he writes.

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