Thierry Henry’s reaction to Kate Abdo’s CBS Sports gaffe should be hung in the Louvre

Football fans in Britain whose coverage of the Champions League in recent years has been marred by inane punditry and overly-fawning commentary have been casting envious eyes over to America and CBS Sports.

While domestic viewers have been treated to years of Jake Humphrey (until 2023), Rio Ferdinand’s obsession with the Ballon d’Or and Darren Fletcher fawning over the loveable underdogs of Manchester City, CBS have become trailblazers for sports coverage.

Anchored by Kate Abdo and featuring a panel of Thierry Henry, Micah Richards and Jamie Carragher, the show is an increasingly essential reminder that football shouldn’t take itself so seriously.

In-jokes abound between the quartet, with clips regularly making waves on social media. But that’s married to perceptive analysis from Henry, knowledgable insight from Carragher and Richards demonstrating there’s more to the man than his window-shaking laugh.

We’re also men of the world here at Planet Football – part of the show’s appeal has always been the obvious chemistry between Henry and the host Abdo.

At this point, allow us to go on the record to say nothing is happening between the pair. Abdo has just got married to retired boxer Malik Scott and Henry tied the knot with his second wife 13 years ago.

In fact, the obsession with their vibe is indictive of a society that still treats inter-sex friendship as gossip at best and an abberation against nature at worst.

But Henry, who could’ve been a expressionist actor in another life, doesn’t help himself sometimes.

Memes of the Frenchman adoringly watch Abdo sip a glass of water went viral last year. News of her engagement, met with excitement by Carragher and Richards, left Henry looking like Ralf Wiggum with his heart snapped in two.

Even this season, Henry was uncharacertiscally snippy in an on-air exhange with Mike Grella about the quality of American players. Something is eating at him.

And, as Abdo prepared to introduce Wednesday night’s highlight show, a slip of the tongue caused the former Arsenal striker to lose all the composure that allowed him to plunder over 400 career goals.

“Good evening and welcome to our post-match show, it is so good to have you with us,” Abdo began. “Kate Ab…”

As she paused herself saying her former surname, Carragher and Richards filled the studio with the sound of their best hyena impression.

“Sorry, sorry Malik,” Abdo sheepishly said. Meanwhile, to her left, Henry had hidden his face behind his notes in a deliciously Gallic twist on the logic of peek-a-boo; if I can’t you, you can’t see me.

It’s fine Kate, it’s still new 😂 pic.twitter.com/MiVaut8Yh9

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) September 18, 2024

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Abdo married Scott in an intimate ceremony earlier this month in Malibu, California.

She announced that she has changed her name having signed an “exclusive contract” with Scott. They were joined by a small group of family and friends, with Henry, Carragher, or Richards not in attendance.

“Our wedding was intimate – just the two of us, really,” she revealed. “We focused on each other and the commitment we were making. It was a godly ceremony on the Malibu hills, just how we wanted it.”

Everybody who spends time in an office environment is familar with the idea of a work relationship, an unofficial vibe between two colleagues that gets them through the drudgery of the working day.

Henry and Abdo have, perhaps, had a very public version of this. None of us would emerge with much grace or class if our own workplace relationships were paraded and dissected on social media.

But the World Cup-winning striker does have the tendancy to lose his cool personna around Abdo, making for countless comedic moments and doing nothing to disuade the internet sleuths.

For every po-faced complaint about the unseriousness of CBS’ coverage, many more recognise the shot of brevity that allows football to be enjoyed as it was intended.

While Henry searches for his misplaced composure, millions of viewers back in Britain pine for Champions League coverage to make you smile.

By Michael Lee