Kylian Mbappe's Ballon d'Or Pitch Draws Criticism From Jean-Pierre Papin

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Kylian Mbappe said “I always think I’m the best” as the Ballon d’Or race built to its finish, and 1991 winner Jean-Pierre Papin told French TV it can become “all about me, me, me and me”.
Votes were cast by one journalist from each of the top 100 FIFA-ranked nations, the deadline has passed and the winner is already chosen.
Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho has compared Mbappe to the original Ronaldo, and Bayern’s Max Eberl says the best players “don’t need to run a campaign”.

The Ballon d’Or Race Became a Public Campaign

Kylian Mbappe did not play coy. “I always think I’m the best but everyone has their own opinion,” the Frenchman said as the race for this year’s Ballon d’Or built to its finish. Then he made his case. This year, he said, could be a good one for him to win the award for the first time, and then came the reminder that “journalists vote”.

Mbappe is the all-time World Cup top goalscorer, and Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho has compared him to the original Ronaldo. His pitch was less subtle than most, according to BBC Sport’s look at the campaigning, and it drew pushback from a fellow Frenchman.

Jean-Pierre Papin, who won the award in 1991, told French TV: “I like Kylian a lot, he’s a record-breaker. However, there comes a point when it’s all about me, me, me and me.”

Mbappe’s Idea of a Winner

Mbappe also reached back to the era of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who won a combined 13 awards in the 15 years between 2008 and 2023. “My idea of the Ballon d’Or comes from the Messi and Ronaldo era,” he said, adding that “you don’t give it to ordinary players”. The award, in his view, goes to players who are different.

Campaigns for this year’s prize began almost as soon as Ousmane Dembele settled back into his chair at the Theatre du Chatelet last September, gold-dipped trophy in hand. The year included a World Cup, which meant the story included which players could lead their countries to glory and how doing so might help them win the biggest individual award in football.

European football expert Guillem Balague said the Ballon d’Or “has been discussed every single day” on BBC Sport’s Euro Leagues podcast. French football journalist Julien Laurens added: “You can’t underestimate the PR machine that some clubs and some players are going to use.”

Managers, Directors and Rivals Join In

Managers and sporting directors talked up their players and asked why others missed the 30-man shortlist. Barcelona’s Deco called it a “huge scandal” that Raphinha and Pedri were left off, though he backed Lamine Yamal as the overwhelming favourite. Yamal himself said he will not “beg for anything” but suggested the prize should not simply go to the top goalscorer.

Paris St-Germain manager Luis Enrique said he is “bored of the Ballon d’Or”, even with a record 10 PSG players on the shortlist. Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia talked each other up to BBC Sport. “We can cut it in two,” Dembele joked. Kvaratskhelia replied: “Of course it’s him!” A “Kvara d’Or” campaign in Georgia celebrated its favourite winger.

Max Eberl, Bayern Munich’s board member for sport, championed Harry Kane and Michael Olise but said the best players “are the ones who don’t need to run a campaign”. Kane was coy about his own chances. “It would be a massive achievement if it did happen,” he said on Wednesday. Rio Ferdinand made the case for him on Bayern’s social accounts with a simple “Ballon d’Or!”

Kane is hoping to become the first English winner in 25 years and only the fifth of all time, with the ceremony in London to mark the 70th anniversary of Stanley Matthews winning the first award.

An Election in All but Name

Sports brand strategist James Kirkham, who has worked with Kane and top clubs, said the build-up has had an election feel. “You’re going out, canvassing, getting your vote and making sure you shore up certain blocks from certain countries, and why wouldn’t you?” he said.

After national team captains and managers stopped voting in 2015, the shortlist drawn up by France Football and L’Equipe has been voted on by one journalist from each of the top 100 FIFA-ranked nations. The deadline has passed. The winner has already been chosen.

Robert Lewandowski told BBC Sport last year the prize has become “part football, partly politics”. Snubs can cut deep. Franck Ribery said missing out in 2013 felt “like a robbery”, and Real Madrid boycotted the 2024 ceremony when Rodri, not Vinicius Junior, was set to win.

Former AC Milan sporting director Ariedo Braida said winning has a big commercial effect. Milan bought Kaka for around 7.5m euros and sold him for 67m euros to Real Madrid. In 2008, after Kaka’s 2007 win, Manchester City made Milan a written offer of 105m euros.

Mbappe has made his pitch, Papin has weighed in and the votes are in. Only the announcement is left.

WRITTEN BY

Jarrod

Jarrod Partridge is the Founder of Futbol Chronicle and an accredited journalist with over 30 years of experience following international football. A member of the AIPS International Sports Press Association, Jarrod has covered matches at stadiums around the world, bringing first-hand insight to every match report, player profile, and tactical analysis he writes.