Thierry Henry Tells Critics to Relax After Ballon d'Or Night

Thierry Henry has told his critics to relax after a night of jokes at the Ballon d'Or ceremony. In a social media post on Wednesday, he described the fuss over his hosting as people "getting really excited about nothing."

The ceremony took place on Monday, October 26, at the London Palladium. Henry co-hosted it with Kate Scott, his colleague at CBS Sports. The Ballon d'Or is the yearly prize for the world's best player, and this year it went to Harry Kane. Henry called Kane a "worthy winner" and said the striker's success showed that work ethic is a talent. He also admitted he had wanted France's Kylian Mbappe to take the top prize.

The first flashpoint came when Henry teased Lamine Yamal about his young player award. "It's your third one, right? But is it the one you really wanted to win?" he asked the Barcelona winger. The audience reacted audibly. Henry later said he was not "checking" Yamal's ego. He said he is a big fan of the player and called him someone he would pay to watch.

The second came over a name. Henry corrected Scott's pronunciation of Socrates, the Brazil legend whose name the football world knows well. Henry then said Scott was in on the joke and had said "Soc" on purpose. He denied he had disrespected her. In his post, he said he loves Kane and Yamal and did not disrespect Scott either.

Not everything on the night was about the banter. Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka won the Socrates Award, which recognises humanitarian and charity work. It is a fitting pairing with a prize that carries the Brazilian's name, and it gave the evening a warmer note than the arguments that followed.

For fans, the row is mostly about tone. Some people enjoyed the sharp edges and the crowd's reaction. Others felt the jokes went too far. Henry's answer is that the banter was affectionate, and that nobody should take it so seriously. Either way, the ceremony has given the internet something to argue about, and the debate is still running.