Thierry Henry denies disrespecting Lamine Yamal and Kate Scott at the Ballon d’Or

French 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 not a single 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 on Yamal and a joke regarding his co-presenter sparked an online debate. The former Arsenal and Barcelona striker has now explained his side of the story and asked critics to stop reading more into the moments than he intended.

The controversy started after Yamal won the Kopa Trophy for the third consecutive year but he lost the Ballon d’Or. Henry also faced criticism over the exchange with Scott at the introduction of the Socrates Award, named after the late Brazilian footballer.

WATCH THE VIDEO:

In response to his question on 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 control his ego at all. If you didn’t like the joke, I understand,” Henry said.

He added that he knew the grand prize was yet to be announced when he asked Jamal if the Kopa Trophy was the prize he really wanted. Henry stressed that his admiration for the teenager remained unchanged.

“He’s actually one of those players I’d pay to watch. I love him.”

WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN HENRY AND LAMIN?

Yamal was asked about the award after winning his third consecutive Kopa Trophy, awarded to the best young player in world football. Henry pointed out that it was the Barcelona star’s third win before asking if it was the trophy he really wanted that night, a clear reference to the Ballon d’Or.

The question drew laughter from the ceremony and Yamal smiled as he answered. However, some viewers on social media accused Henry of embarrassing or bullying the teenager, while others saw the exchange as harmless banter.

Henry explained that he was referring to the grand prize that Yamal didn’t win, rather than trying to put him in his place. He also reiterated that the Barcelona winger was one of his favorite players to watch.

“I just asked if it was the trophy he really wanted because I knew the real prize would come later,” Henry said.

The former Barcelona striker added that he understood why some people did not appreciate the joke, but urged them not to interpret it as an attack on Yamal.

“I DIDN’T RISE UP KATE SCOTT”

Henry also responded to criticism of his exchange with Scott during the Socrates Prize presentation. The interaction included a joke about the pronunciation of Socrates’ name, with some viewers interpreting Henry’s response as disrespectful to his co-presenter.

French claimed that Scott was deliberately playing with the joke and that their interaction was misunderstood.

“Kate was kidding me and you can ask Kate, by the way. She did it on purpose to tell off Socrates,” Henry said.

He insisted he would never intentionally 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 may not have found the joke funny, but urged them to stop making up 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 inject malicious intent into the exchange.

– The end