Thierry Henry hosted the 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony in London on 26 October. GOAL said Henry faced criticism for his performance hosting the ceremony.
Exchange with Kate Scott
Henry cut across Kate Scott as she pronounced the name of Socrates, who was honoured with an award for the best humanitarian work carried out by a footballer.
Henry said, "What do you mean? We don't have any philosophers here."
Scott repeated his pronunciation and replied, "Apologies for my pronunciation, everyone. Trust Terry to pronounce it correctly."
Henry then added, "Yes, Dr Socrates, we won't argue here."
Andrew Downie's criticism
According to the Metro website, Andrew Downie, author of "Doctor Socrates: Footballer, Philosopher, Legend", criticised Henry over the exchange with Scott.
Writing on X, Downie said: "Thierry Henry is rude and what he said is not true. She (Scott) pronounced the name correctly. I know that, I wrote a whole book about this man."
Question to Lamine Yamal
Lamine Yamal climbed on stage to collect the best young talent award for a third year running. Henry said to Yamal, "It's your third award, isn't it? But is it the award you really wanted to win?"
Yamal had finished third in the 2026 Ballon d'Or standings, behind Kylian Mbappé and Harry Kane.
According to The Sun, Henry's question to Yamal drew laughter from the audience and a smile from Yamal.
Mixed reaction on social media
According to The Sun, some other fans argued that Henry did not say anything wrong.
One person wrote: "Yamal is 19 years old, he finished second last year and third this year, how is Henry bullying him in front of everyone"
Another wrote: "This is inappropriate behaviour from Thierry Henry. It's nice of Lamine Yamal to stay calm"
Another wrote: "There is absolutely nothing wrong with what he said"
