Kylian Mbappé attracted a lot of criticism in Spain after presenting himself as a serious candidate for the Ballon d’Or. A few days before the vote closed, the Real Madrid striker felt he had achieved “ an excellent year on an individual level ”, which he considers to be the most important criterion for winning the award. Comments which caused several journalists from the Cadena SER. Julio Pulido questions in particular how Madrid supporters can welcome this speech when their team remains without a major trophy recently, while Javier Herráez believes that the Frenchman would have done better to avoid such an outing after his performance in the derby against Atlético.
Critics have been even harsher regarding his candidacy for the Ballon d’Or. Antón Meana ensures that Mbappé does not even appear in his top 5 against players like Lamine Yamal, Rodri, Harry Kane, Ousmane Dembélé, Vitinha or Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Dani Garrido criticizes him for emphasizing his individual statistics too strongly and recalls that Harry Kane won the Golden Boot. The Spanish journalist especially highlights the Frenchman’s performances in major events: “ Scoring goals in the World Cup against Iraq, Sweden and Paraguay is great », before emphasizing his lack of impact during France’s 2-0 defeat against Spain. A particularly tough series of outings as Mbappé publicly defends his chances of winning the Ballon d’Or.
