Thierry Henry has divided football fans after his exchanges with Lamine Yamal and co-host Kate Scott at the Ballon d'Or ceremony prompted accusations that his humour went too far.
The former Arsenal striker shared presenting duties with Scott at Monday night's event at the London Palladium.
Harry Kane claimed the men's Ballon d'Or, finishing ahead of Kylian Mbappe and Barcelona teenager Yamal.
Yamal collected the Kopa Trophy for a third consecutive year, but his moment on stage became a talking point following Henry's questioning.
Henry asked the youngster whether the award was the trophy he had hoped to take home, drawing a mixed response from viewers watching the exchange.
"That's your third one right?" Henry asked, with Yamal nodding in response.
"But is it the one you really wanted tonight?"
The teenager lowered his head and smiled as laughter could be heard from the audience, before Henry followed up by asking whether he wanted the question in Spanish.
Some supporters interpreted the exchange as light-hearted teasing, while others felt the presenter had put Yamal in an uncomfortable position during what should have been a celebration of his achievement.
Critics accused Henry of bullying the Barcelona forward, although Yamal's reaction alone does not establish how he felt about the remarks.
Henry also attracted criticism over a separate interaction with Scott, after correcting his fellow presenter's pronunciation of the Socrates award.
The manner of the intervention irritated some viewers, who questioned why he had chosen to challenge her delivery during the broadcast.
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"This was very unneccesary of Thierry Henry," one social media user wrote.
Another added: "He comes off as arrogant."
A third viewer criticised what they perceived as Henry's tendency to draw attention towards himself.
"His social awareness ain’t really there lol he’s one of those people that like to make things about himself or put the attention on him," they said.
Another commenter suggested Scott had appeared unsettled by the correction, although that was their interpretation of the footage.
"She became so nervous, I was embarrassed on her behalf. Her confidence level dropped a bit but she kept it moving. He was damn serious too," they wrote.
However, the criticism was far from unanimous.
Others defended Henry, arguing that the exchange reflected the familiar humour he shares with Scott through their work together on CBS Sports.
The contrasting reactions added another talking point to an evening that ultimately belonged to Kane.
The England captain became his country's first men's Ballon d'Or winner since Michael Owen in 2001, following a season featuring 73 goals for club and country.
Receiving the award in London added significance for the Bayern Munich striker, who acknowledged the occasion during his acceptance speech.
"I'm almost speechless," Kane said.
"Being here in London has made it extra special. It looked like a good omen for me tonight."
He also thanked his coaches, team-mates, supporters and family for their contribution to his success.
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from GB News https://www.gbnews.com/sport/football/thierry-henry-ballon-dor-lamine-yamal-kate-scott
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