Henry draws criticism for Ballon d’Or remarks
Former Arsenal and France striker Thierry Henry drew criticism on Monday night after he teased Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal and corrected co‑presenter Kate Scott’s pronunciation of the Socrates humanitarian award during the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony in London’s Palladium Theatre.
Controversial remarks
During the two‑hour ceremony, Henry opened by teasing 19‑year‑old Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal about his chances of winning the Ballon d’Or, saying the young talent would not walk away with the trophy. He then turned to Kate Scott, interrupting her explanation of the Socrates humanitarian award.
Scott attempted to introduce the Socrates Award, stating, ‘We’ll also give out the Socrates Award which was…’ Henry cut in, ‘What do you mean Socrates? We don’t have any philosophers here, it’s ‘Soc‑ra‑tes’.’ Scott repeated the pronunciation and retorted, ‘Excuse my pronunciation, everybody. Trust Thierry to get it right.’
Brazilian football scholar Andrew Downie, author of *Doctor Socrates: Footballer, Philosopher, Legend*, condemned Henry’s behaviour on X, writing, ‘Thierry Henry is rude and incorrect. She pronounced it properly. I know, I wrote a whole book about the man.’
The online clip of the ceremony carries the standard disclaimer: ‘To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video — Up Next, Previous Page, Next Page.’ The notice appears repeatedly on the event’s streaming page.
Ballon d’Or rankings and Yamal’s award
The 2026 Ballon d’Or top ten featured Harry Kane of Bayern Munich and England in first place, Kylian Mbappé of Real Madrid and France second, and Lamine Yamal of Barcelona and Spain third. When Yamal collected the Young Talent of the Year award for the third consecutive year, Henry quipped, ‘It’s your third one right? But is it the one you really wanted to win?’
Yamal ultimately finished third in the Ballon d’Or rankings, while England striker Harry Kane lifted the trophy ahead of French forward Kylian Mbappé, capping a night that left Henry’s remarks under intense scrutiny.