Arsenal football legend, Thierry Henry, has addressed reactions that followed a viral video from the 2026 FIFA World Cup opening match, insisting he has nothing but “mad respect” and love for Nigeria.
The discussion began during the tournament opener, where American streamer IShowSpeed met Zlatan Ibrahimović and Thierry Henry.
A video from the stands showed them reacting to Speed’s outfit, which combined a United States national team jersey with Nigerian national team shorts.
Spotting the combination, Ibrahimović said, “You have an American shirt, you have Nigerian shorts.”
Henry added, “I love Nigeria, but today is US for you.”
ALSO READ: World Cup: Trump backs USA to ‘go all the way’
When IShowSpeed asked what was wrong with mixing the two kits, Henry explained his view on sporting superstition and uniformity.
“It is great. Nigeria is great. But that’s you bringing bad luck. You have to wear a full combo. There’s nothing wrong, I love Nigeria, but you have to wear US shorts and US shirt,” Henry said.
The clip triggered online debate, with some interpreting his comments as a reference to Nigeria itself. Henry later moved to address the reaction directly in an Instagram story, where he clarified his remarks and restated his respect for Nigeria and its football community.
“I need to clarify something because I don’t think people understand when you say stuff sometimes or when a joke is a joke,” Henry explained in the video.
“So IShowSpeed yesterday had shorts of Nigeria and the top of the US, and so I just said to him it is bad luck to break the set. It could have been the shorts of France, Italy or Spain; I would have said the same thing.
“I was just having a little joke with him, saying that it will be bad luck; not Nigeria is bad luck, but to break the set is bad luck.
“And I even said I love, I love Naija, and by the way, I do. I have mad respect for Nigeria and the people there, a lot of Arsenal fans out there. Nigeria is never bad luck; I was just saying breaking the set is bad luck with any other short.”
Elsewhere at the tournament, the United States opened their home campaign with a 4-1 win over Paraguay at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
Folarin Balogun scored twice, while pressure from Mauricio Pochettino’s side forced an early own goal from Damian Bobadilla before Gio Reyna added a late fourth in Group D.
WATCH VIDEO HERE:
