‘Ego Check’—Thierry Henry Responds to Lamine Yamal Ballon d’Or Controversy

Soccer legend Thierry Henry has taken to social media to clarify the “joke” he made when he asked Lamine Yamal if the Kopa Trophy was the “one he really wanted” during the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony, stating he was not checking the teenager’s “ego.”

The legendary Frenchman co-hosted the 70th Ballon d‘Or awards on Monday in which Harry Kane took home the most prestigious individual award in the sport. Yamal settled for third in the final voting.

Earlier in the night, Yamal took home the first award of the ceremony, winning the Kopa Trophy as the best young talent for a record third consecutive year. After giving a brief speech in which he said he wishes the award had gone to his teammate Pau Cubarsí, Henry intervened.

“That’s your third one,” Henry said. “But is it the one you really wanted tonight?” Henry was clearly alluding to the teenager’s public desire to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or. The London Palladium Theatre erupted in laughter, and Yamal also nervously laughed before saying he wanted “all of them.”

Henry was loudly criticized on social media, with many taking his question as a dig at Yamal, with some even describing the question as “disrespectful.” A day after the ceremony, Henry responded to the controversy.

Henry: ‘I Am a Big Fan of Lamine Yamal’

Lamine Yamal 🤝 Thierry Henry 💙❤️ pic.twitter.com/hlSoC1bDzC
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) May 11, 2025

Henry suddenly found himself in the eye of the storm for his comments, and it didn’t take long for him to issue a response. He didn’t really apologize, but rather explained his intentions.

“I want to clarify some stuff as some people got really excited for actually nothing,” Henry said. “First and foremost with Lamine Yamal I wasn’t checking his ego at all. I just thought that as the third time he had won that [Kopa] trophy, I was just asking him if it was the one he truly wanted, and I brought out a laugh out of people.

“We all knew what he wanted. Unfortunately, he didn’t get it. I’m a big fan of Lamine Yamal; I wasn’t checking his ego at all. That you don’t like the joke, I can understand that, but please, don’t do that. He’s actually one of those players I will pay to watch. I love him.

“I was just asking if it’s the one he really wanted because I knew the winner prize [Ballon d’Or] was coming after and unfortunately he didn’t win it. Because he’s a hell of a player and I enjoy to watch and I will pay to watch him.”

But his comments toward Yamal weren’t the only controversial moment of Henry’s Ballon d’Or hosting debut.

Henry Clarifies Controversy With Co-Host Kate Scott

Kate Scott and Thierry Henry co-hosting the Ballon d’Or awards ceremony. — Ballon d’Or co-hosts Kate Scott (left) and Thierry Henry have worked together for years in television. | Jeff Spicer/UEFA/Getty Images

Henry also landed himself in hot water when he corrected fellow co-host Kate Scott for her pronunciation of “Socrates” when announcing the award that bears his name.

The pair have worked together for years covering the Champions League for CBS Sports, and the Frenchman addressed the controversy, revealing Scott was in on the joke.

“Kate was with me on the joke,” Henry said. “And you can ask Kate by the way, by the way. She did it on purpose, to say Socrates, and I had to say Socrates. Again, that you didn’t understand the joke, I understand, but please stop saying that I disrespected Kate. I would never do that.”

The final moment Henry addressed was when, after Harry Kane won the 2026 Ballon d’Or, he admitted that, as a Frenchman, he was always going to root for his nominated countryman to win it. Many took this as a sign of disrespect towards the winner, so Henry made sure to explain any misunderstanding.

“If you don’t watch our show on CBS,” Henry said. “Harry Kane the other day, after the game Bayern Munich vs. Arsenal, called me out for supporting Kylian Mbappé. So I just told him the other day that although I’m French and I was always going to back and support my fellow countryman, I just said to him: ‘You are a worthy winner, you deserve it, you are the example of what of what I always call work-ethic is a talent.’

“I said ‘you are a worthy winner, well done, Harry Kane,’ and I call him Sir Harry Kane since the World Cup. So, please people out there, relax, relax. I love Harry Kane, I love Lamine Yamal and I didn’t disrespect Kate.”

Henry did his best to put an end to the controversy. Now, only time will tell if he’s back hosting the ceremony again in 2027.

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