Arsenal legend Thierry Henry brought the spirit of the North London Derby to The FIFA Best Awards ceremony tonight. While accepting the FIFA Best Men’s Player on behalf of Lionel Messi, he threw in a dig the Gunners’ local rivals, Tottenham Hotspur.
After accepting the award (as the Argentinian was not on hand in London on Monday night), Thierry Henry made a joke at the expense of program co-host and Spurs supporter Reshmin Chowdhury.
Thierry Henry:
“You are a Tottenham fan right? You usually don’t get your hands on a trophy.” [Mail] ?pic.twitter.com/ZZRp0qOiQe
— AfcVIP?? (@VipArsenal) January 15, 2024
(related: Thierry Henry asks Pep Guardiola at The FIFA Best Awards that elicits an f-bomb response)
“You’re a Tottenham fan right?” the TV pundit asked Chowdhury, who grudgingly admitted so.
“You don’t usually get your hands on a trophy, so I’ll take this one.” Henry then added, very sharply.
The crowd on hand seemed to enjoy the quip, as there was loads of laughter. Understandably so, given how Spurs haven’t won a trophy of any sort, since 2008.
However, the fact that Messi won the award is a story in itself. The Inter Miami star finished tied in the voting (48 points each) with Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, but won a tie-breaker. Haaland won the journalist vote, but Messi got the award due to the weight given to national team captains’ votes. Each of these are worth five points, and Messi took this category, and with it, the plaudit.
Not sure that is right, or just, but it “is,” no doubt about that.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.