Kylian Mbappe labelled ‘childish and pathetic’ by France World Cup winner over Ballon d’Or claim

France 1998 World Cup winner Christophe Dugarry has laid into Kylian Mbappe over remarks he made about the Ballon d’Or.

Real Madrid star Mbappe thinks this ‘might be a good year’ for him to win the award for the first time.

Getty

‘I think I’m the best’ – Mbappe

Talking up his chances ahead of Madrid’s Champions League opener against Inter Milan, the France captain – who broke the all-time World Cup goals record this summer – said: “I think when you play for Real Madrid, the best club in the world, people associate you with this award [the Ballon d’Or].

“There are many people that speak about me and the Ballon d’Or. Of course I’ve made history in the most important competition. Maybe it’s a good year for this, but people can vote according to what they think.

“I always think I’m the best [player in the world], but everyone has their own opinion.

“Maybe people think different ways. I don’t think it’s a discussion we need to have.

“Of course this year could be good for me to win the Ballon d’Or. But journalists vote.”

Dugarry not impressed with Mbappe

But Dugarry, who earned 55 caps for France and played in Les Bleus’ 1998 World Cup final victory over Brazil, isn’t a fan of Mbappe’s apparent confidence of getting his hands on football’s ultimate individual accolade.

“To publicly ask for an individual award like that, I find it childish and pathetic,” Dugarry said in a scathing attack on the 2018 World Cup winner.

“There’s nothing great about asking for it, especially as captain of your national team.”

The closest to winning the Ballon d’Or Mbappe has come to date was in 2023, when he finished third behind Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi – who collected the prize for a record extending eighth time.

Last year’s award was won by Mbappe’s international teammate Ousmane Dembele, France’s record sixth Ballon d’Or recipient.

AFP

Getty

Presented by France Football magazine since 1966, the Ballon d’Or is decided by votes from a jury of 100 football journalists – one representing each of the countries in the top 100 of FIFA‘s World Ranking.

How voting for the Ballon d'Or works

Each voter picks their top 10 players, in order, from the 30-player shortlist. Those players are then awarded the following points depending on their placement:

• 1st place – 15 points
• 2nd place – 12 points
• 3rd place – 10 points
• 4th place – 8 points
• 5th place – 7 points
• 6th place – 5 points
• 7th place – 4 points
• 8th place – 3 points
• 9th place – 2 points
• 10th place – 1 point

Ousmane Dembele topped the voting last year with 1,380 points, followed by Lamine Yamal (1,059 points) and Vitinha (703 points).

Who will win the 2026 Ballon d’Or?

The 70th Ballon d’Or will be presented on Monday, October 26.

For the first time ever, the ceremony is taking a place in London, a nod to English icon Sir Stanley Matthews, who won the inaugural Ballon d’Or back in 1956.

As one would expect given his performances over the last 12 months, Mbappe is among the favourites – as are Harry Kane off the back of an extraordinarily prolific 2025/26 season for Bayern Munich and Barcelona‘s Lamine Yamal, who helped Spain to World Cup glory this summer.

Kane‘s old Tottenham boss Tim Sherwood recently tipped the England skipper to take home the award for the first time, telling talkSPORT: “If he can’t win it this year, he’s not going to win it, is he?

“He can’t do any more than what he’s done…”

A host of other awards will be presented on the night, including the Ballon d’Or Femenin and the Socrates Award – named after Brazilian icon Socrates and awarded for outstanding humanitarian work.