Thierry Henry breaks silence on Lamine Yamal, Kate Scott Ballon d'Or backlash

Thierry Henry has responded to the backlash over his interactions with Lamine Yamal and Kate Scott at the Ballon d'Or ceremony, insisting both moments were jokes. The former France striker defended his comments, praised Yamal and urged critics to stop alleging disrespect.Henry's question to Yamal at the Ballon d'Or ceremony sparked controversy. (Photo: Reuters/ AP)New Delhi,Oct 28, 2026 11:33 ISTFrance football legend turned pundit Thierry Henry has addressed the backlash over his interactions with Lamine Yamal and Kate Scott at the Ballon d'Or ceremony, insisting that neither moment was intended to be disrespectful. The former France striker defended his comments in a video shared on social media after facing criticism from fans over the two exchanges.Henry co-hosted the ceremony with Scott, but his question to Yamal and a joke involving his co-presenter sparked debate online. The former Arsenal and Barcelona forward has now explained his side of the story, asking critics to stop reading more into the moments than he intended.The controversy began after Yamal won the Kopa Trophy for the third consecutive year but missed out on the Ballon d'Or. Henry also faced criticism over his exchange with Scott while introducing the Socrates Award, named after the late Brazilian footballer.WATCH THE VIDEO:Addressing the reaction to his question to Yamal, Henry insisted that he was not trying to challenge the Barcelona youngster's ego and that the remark was meant as a joke. “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 added that he knew the main prize was still to be announced when he asked Yamal whether the Kopa Trophy was the award he really wanted. Henry stressed that his admiration for the teenager remained unchanged. “He's actually one of those players I would pay to watch. I love him.”WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN HENRY AND LAMINE?Yamal was asked about the award after collecting his third consecutive Kopa Trophy, given to the best young player in world football. Henry pointed out that it was the Barcelona star's third win before asking whether it was the trophy he had really wanted that night, a clear reference to the Ballon d'Or.The question prompted laughter at the ceremony, with Yamal smiling as he responded. However, some viewers on social media accused Henry of embarrassing or bullying the teenager, while others considered the exchange harmless banter.Henry explained that he was referring to the main award, which Yamal did not win, rather than attempting to put him in his place. He also reiterated that the Barcelona winger was one of the players he most enjoyed watching.“I was simply asking if that was the trophy he really wanted because I knew the real prize was coming later,” Henry said.The former Barcelona forward added that he understood why some people might not have appreciated the joke but urged them not to interpret it as an attack on Yamal."I DID NOT DISRESPECT KATE SCOTT"Henry also responded to criticism over his exchange with Scott during the presentation of the Socrates Award. The interaction involved a joke about the pronunciation of Socrates' name, with some viewers interpreting Henry's response as disrespectful towards his co-presenter.The Frenchman maintained that Scott had deliberately played along with the joke and that their interaction had been misunderstood.“Kate was in on the joke with me, and you can ask Kate, by the way. She did it on purpose to say Socrates,” Henry said.He insisted that he would never deliberately disrespect Scott and asked people to stop making claims about their exchange.“Please stop saying I disrespected Kate. I will never do that.”Henry acknowledged that people might not have found the joke funny but urged them to stop inventing stories about what happened on stage. He ended his video by reiterating his admiration for Yamal and his respect for Scott, asking critics to relax rather than read malicious intent into the exchanges.- Ends