The Aporia · 'Relax, I love Kane and Lamine Yamal' - Henry defends his Ballon d'Or hosting

'Relax, I love Kane and Lamine Yamal' - Henry defends his Ballon d'Or hosting

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BBC Sport. (2026, October 28). 'Relax, I love Kane and Lamine Yamal' - Henry defends his Ballon d'Or hosting. BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cm369r0n0zk5o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

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Quick Summary

Thierry Henry has defended his actions at the Ballon d'Or ceremony after facing criticism for jokes he made about Barcelona player Lamine Yamal and pronunciation errors during the event. In a social media video, Henry clarified that he is a fan of Yamal and was not trying to undermine him or anyone else's ego. He also addressed claims of disrespecting co-host Kate Scott by stating she was partaking in the joke with him regarding the mispronunciation of Socrates' name. Henry emphasized his support for both Kane as the Ballon d'Or winner and Mbappe, while urging critics to "relax" over what he termed misunderstandings.

Written by AI on 2026-10-30, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

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Story summary

Thierry Henry, former France and Arsenal forward, defended himself against criticism over his hosting of the Ballon d'Or ceremony on Monday. During the event, Henry made jokes about Barcelona star Lamine Yamal and corrected co-host Kate Scott's pronunciation of Brazil legend Socrates' name, which drew mixed reactions from the audience at the Palladium in Paris. Specifically, Henry joked that it was Yamal’s third consecutive young player award but asked if "it's the one you really wanted to win," referring to Yamal potentially aiming for the main Ballon d’Or prize. In a social media video on Wednesday, Henry stated he is a big fan of Yamal and said his comments were not meant to check the younger player’s ego. Additionally, Henry admitted that he hoped Frenchman Kylian Mbappe would win over Kane, who became the first Englishman in 25 years to win the award after an impressive season for both club and country.

Written for “Thierry Henry Defends Ballon d'Or Role” on 2026-11-03, grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Thierry Henry Defends Ballon d'Or Role

Entertainment · 2 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

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1 of 17 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

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takes no side on a contested political question

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68/100

BBC News's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

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Entertainment

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BBC Sport

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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

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Narrative

Claims (17 extracted, 1 hedged)

- Published Thierry Henry has defended himself after criticism over the way he hosted Monday's Ballon d'Or ceremony. asserted

he → publish → ceremony

The former France and Arsenal forward, who has come under fire for remarks he made towards Barcelona star Lamine Yamal, overall winner Harry Kane and co-host Kate Scott on the night, has addressed what he said was "people getting really excited about nothing". asserted

people → come → nothing

Henry, who was presenting the ceremony alongside CBS Sports colleague Scott, joked with Lamine Yamal about him winning a third successive young player of the year award. asserted

him → present → award

He also corrected Scott's pronunciation of Brazil legend Socrates' name and admitted he wanted fellow Frenchman Kylian Mbappe to beat Kane to the top prize. asserted

Mbappe → correct → prize

Addressing the Lamine Yamal situation, which received an audible reaction from the audience in attendance, Henry said he wasn't "checking his ego" and emphasised his admiration of the young Spaniard. asserted

he → address → Spaniard

On the night, he teased Lamine Yamal by saying of his young player award: "It's your third one, right? asserted

It → tease → award

But is it the one you really wanted to win?" asserted

you → want → ?

Speaking in a social media video on Wednesday, Henry said: "I'm a big fan of Lamine Yamal. asserted

I → speak → Yamal

I wasn't checking his ego at all - that you didn't like the joke, I can understand. asserted

I → check → joke

"But don't do that, he's one of the players I'd pay to watch, I love him." asserted

I → do → him

The 49-year-old also responded to criticism over his response to co-host Scott's pronunciation of 'Socrates', claiming she was in on the joke herself. asserted

she → respond → joke

"You didn't like the joke, I understand, but please stop saying I disrespected Kate," Henry said. "I will never do that and you can ask her, she was on the joke with me. asserted

she → like → me

She did Soc on purpose, and I said Soc, so please stop inventing stories." Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka won the Socrates Award for his humanitarian and charity work. Henry added Kane was a "worthy winner" of the Ballon d'Or before telling everyone to "relax" after his support of Mbappe's claim to the prize. " uncertain

Kane → do → prize

I'm French and I was always going to back up and support my fellow countryman," he said. asserted

he → go → countryman

"I said to [Kane], 'You are a worthy winner, you deserve it, you are the example that work ethic is a talent, working hard is a talent'. asserted

working → say → it

Well done, Harry Kane - and I call him Sir Harry Kane since the World Cup. "So please, people out there, relax, relax. asserted

I → do → Cup

I love Harry Kane, I love Lamine Yamal and I didn't disrespect Kate. asserted

I → love → Kate

'Relax, I love Kane and Lamine Yamal' - Henry defends his Ballon d'Or hosting

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Claims (17 extracted, 1 hedged)