Thierry Henry has hit back at the criticism aimed his way over his comments at Monday's Ballon d'Or ceremony, which he co-hosted with Kate Scott.
In a video posted after the ceremony, the Frenchman addressed two moments that sparked controversy: his question to Lamine Yamal, and his exchange with Scott while presenting the Socrates Award.
Yamal climbed onto the stage to collect the Kopa Trophy for the third year running. Henry asked him whether this was really the award the Barcelona star wanted, pointing out that his sights were set on the bigger prize, the Ballon d'Or.
Some viewers branded the question inappropriate and accused Henry of embarrassing and bullying the young player. Others simply saw it as a joke.
According to Henry, he asked because it was the third time Yamal had won the Kopa Trophy, while the teenager has yet to land the main prize.
He said he understands if some people did not like the joke, but insisted he is one of Yamal's biggest admirers and loves watching him play. He even called the Barcelona star one of the players he would pay money to watch.
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The second row flared up after Henry's chat with Scott about the Socrates Award, named in honour of the late Brazilian football star. Henry joked with his co-host about her pronunciation of the former Brazil star's name, its link to the Greek philosopher, and corrected how she said it.
Plenty of viewers found his response rude. Andrew Downie, who wrote a book about Socrates, said Scott pronounced the name correctly and called Henry's behaviour rudeness.
In the video he posted, Henry said Scott was in on the joke and deliberately played along. He admitted some may not find it funny, then asked them to stop labelling him disrespectful.
He said: "I would never do that," insisting he would never intentionally offend Scott or Yamal.
Henry now works as a football analyst for CBS Sports, where he regularly breaks down the UEFA Champions League alongside Kate Scott, Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards.
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