Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimović described being overwhelmed after FOX soccer analyst Alexi Lalas showed emotion during the U.S. national anthem before a World Cup match in the group stages against Paraguay.
The national anthem has a way of turning strangers into a single moment.
Before Friday’s match, Alexi Lalas—FOX Sports soccer analyst and a familiar face for U.S. pride—apparently got emotional and was moved to tears as the United States sang. Lalas has never shied away from wearing his patriotism on his sleeve. including during his own playing days when he donned the Stars and Stripes for the United States during the 1994 World Cup. which also took place in America.
The U.S. Men’s National Team opened the group stages of this year’s World Cup with a dismantling of Paraguay. and across the country. USMNT fans leaned into the moment with their own patriotism. But Lalas’s reaction wasn’t just about what happened on the pitch—it was about what happened during the anthem.
For a while, the public didn’t know what he’d done in that private-in-public way you only notice once it’s been told. Much later—during a recap broadcast—Thierry Henry revealed what he saw.
“This man over there, as I looked at him (during) the National Anthem,” Henry said, pointing toward Lalas. “How you cried, and how you were passionate about singing the National Anthem… then I realized how important it was for you guys and how important it is for you.”
Henry said the way the team played also inspired him, and he believes it all connected back to pride—pride in representing the nation and wearing the colors of the country.
Zlatan Ibrahimović echoed that emotional reaction. “You made me emotional,” Ibrahimović said. “That doesn’t happen every day.”
Taken together, Henry and Ibrahimović’s comments turned what could have been an unnoticed moment into something bigger: a reminder that, for some people, the anthem isn’t a routine formality. It lands like something personal.
Friday’s win over Paraguay gave the U.S. a strong start. If the team can carry that momentum forward into 2026—and if it can match the kind of raw, color-filled conviction Henry and Ibrahimović described—this U.S. side could be difficult to stop.
Alexi Lalas Thierry Henry Zlatan Ibrahimović USMNT World Cup 2026 national anthem Paraguay
Why are grown men crying during the anthem lol
Henry and Zlatan being “moved” by a TV guy crying is kinda wild. Like okay it’s patriotic and all but I feel like they’re making it deeper than it is. Also wasn’t Paraguay the one we played like forever ago? idk.
People always say the anthem is just a formality and then stuff like this happens and suddenly everyone’s acting like it’s therapy. I don’t even watch the World Cup, I just saw the headline that Lalas got emotional and now Henry is pointing at him?? Honestly respect for showing emotion though. But I swear this stuff always turns into “pride” lectures.
I’m not saying it’s fake but how do they “reveal what he saw” like it’s a documentary. Henry pointing like “look at how he cried” feels a little staged to me, even if the moment was real. And Zlatan reacting too like “doesn’t happen every day” man that’s dramatic. Anyway the team beat Paraguay so everyone’s gonna ride the anthem wave until next loss.