Thierry Henry has rejected claims that he was trying to embarrass Lamine Yamal with comments made during the Ballon d’Or ceremony, saying he was only asking whether the Barcelona forward had wanted the Kopa Trophy.

Yamal, 19, won the award for the third consecutive time after another season in which he continued to break records and enjoy significant success with Barcelona.

As Yamal collected the prize, Henry said: “That's your third one, right? But is it the one that you really wanted tonight?”

Yamal laughed along with the audience, but the remark prompted criticism online. Some viewers believed Henry was taking a swipe at the teenager because he had hoped to win the Ballon d’Or, which was awarded to Harry Kane.

Henry responded to the backlash in a video posted on social media, insisting that his words had been misinterpreted.

“My people, this is Thierry once again. I've been seeing a lot of people talking about the Ballon d'Or night, so I want to clarify some stuff, what people got really excited for actually nothing.

“For Lamine Yamal, I wasn't checking his ego at all. I just thought that, as the third time that he's winning that trophy, I just asked him if that's the one that he really wanted.

“I am a big fan of Lamine Yamal. I wasn't checking his ego whatsoever. That you didn't like the joke, I can understand, but please don't do that. He's one of the players that I will pay to watch. I love him.

“So I was just asking if it was the one that he really wants, because I knew that the real prize was coming after. Unfortunately, he didn't win it, because he's a hell of a player that I enjoy to watch.”

Henry also described Kane as a “worthy winner” of the Ballon d’Or and urged people to “relax” after he had supported Kylian Mbappe’s claim to the award.

“I'm French and I was always going to back up and support my fellow countryman,” he said.

The former France international’s comments came after he had been accused of using the Kopa Trophy presentation to highlight Yamal’s disappointment at missing out on the Ballon d’Or. Henry said his intention had simply been to ask whether the young forward regarded the Kopa Trophy as the prize he most wanted, given that the main award was still to be presented.