Henry defends himself after Ballon d'Or criticism

Henry clarified his remarks at Monday's Ballon d'Or ceremony were jokes, defending comments about Yamal, Kane and co-host Scott.

Thierry Henry responded to criticism of his hosting at Monday's Ballon d'Or ceremony, where he made several remarks that drew attention. Henry joked with Barcelona's Lamine Yamal about winning a third successive young player award, corrected co-host Kate Scott's pronunciation of Socrates' name, and expressed support for fellow Frenchman Kylian Mbappe over Harry Kane for the main prize.

On Wednesday, Henry defended himself on social media, saying people were "getting really excited about nothing" and that his comments were jokes. He emphasised his admiration for Yamal, stating "he's one of the players I'd pay to watch, I love him" and clarified he wasn't "checking his ego". On the Socrates pronunciation exchange with Scott, Henry said she was "in on the joke" and did it on purpose, asking people to "stop inventing stories" about disrespecting her.

Henry also praised Kane as a "worthy winner" of the Ballon d'Or and explained his backing of Mbappe by saying "I'm French and I was always going to back up and support my fellow countryman", before asking everyone to "relax".