‘Relax’, Henry hits back at Ballon d’Or hosting backlash

Former France striker, Thierry Henry, has hit back at criticism over his role as co-host of the Ballon d’Or ceremony, defending his remarks to Lamine Yamal and fellow presenter Kate Scott.

Henry faced criticism for joking with Barcelona forward Yamal during the ceremony and correcting Scott’s pronunciation of former Brazilian footballer Socrates.

Responding to the backlash, Henry dismissed the criticism, saying people were making too much of the incidents.

“People getting really excited about nothing,” he said, urging critics to “relax”.

Henry also defended his comments to Yamal, insisting that he was a fan of the Barcelona teenager and had not intended to undermine his confidence.

“I love Lamine Yamal. I wasn’t checking his ego,” Henry said, adding that Yamal was “one of the players I’d pay to watch”.

The former Arsenal and Barcelona forward also rejected claims that he had disrespected Scott over the pronunciation exchange.

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“Please stop saying I disrespected Kate. I will never do that,” he said.

Henry further addressed the debate surrounding his preference in the Ballon d’Or race, explaining that he backed fellow Frenchman Kylian Mbappe while acknowledging that Harry Kane was a worthy winner.

“Kane is a worthy winner,” Henry said, while explaining his support for Mbappe by noting, “I’m French.”