Thierry Henry explains comments involving Lamine Yamal and Kate Scott at Ballon d’Or ceremony

Thierry Henry has defended his conduct at Monday’s Ballon d’Or ceremony after facing criticism for comments directed at Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal and fellow presenter Kate Scott.

In a video released after the event, Henry addressed two moments that attracted attention during the ceremony, which he co-hosted with Scott.

When Yamal went on stage to collect the Kopa Trophy for a third consecutive time, Henry asked whether it was really the award the Barcelona player wanted. He then suggested that Yamal’s main ambition would be to win the Ballon d’Or, the ceremony’s leading individual prize.

Some viewers felt the question was inappropriate and accused Henry of embarrassing or bullying the young player. Others considered it no more than a joke.

Henry said he had made the remark because Yamal had won the Kopa Trophy three times but had yet to claim the overall award. He acknowledged that not everyone would have found the joke amusing, while stressing his admiration for Yamal and his enjoyment of watching him play.

The former France international described Yamal as one of the players he would pay to watch.

A second controversy followed an exchange between Henry and Scott while they were presenting the Socrates Award, which is named after the late Brazilian football great Socrates.

Henry joked with Scott about the way she pronounced the former Brazil player’s name, referring to its connection with the Greek philosopher before correcting her pronunciation. Some viewers regarded his response as rude.

Andrew Downie, who wrote a book about Socrates, said Scott had pronounced the name correctly and described Henry’s intervention as disrespectful.

Henry offered a different account in his video, saying Scott knew about the joke and deliberately pretended to agree with him. He again accepted that some people might not find the exchange funny, but asked viewers to stop describing him as disrespectful.

“I would never do that,” Henry said, making clear that he would never deliberately offend either Scott or Yamal.

Henry now works as a football analyst for CBS Sports, regularly covering the Champions League alongside Scott, Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards.