The Golden Ball of discord. Last Tuesday, France Football revealed the list of 30 footballers nominated for the BO 2026. Unsurprisingly, Kylian Mbappé is one of them. The Frenchman believes he has his chances. Although he did not win any major titles, he distinguished himself individually by being crowned top scorer in La Liga, the Champions League and the World Cup. Facing him, the captain of the Blues finds some good people, including the title holder Ousmane Dembélé. Friends in life and teammates in the national team, the two men are leading a completely different campaign. Dembouz remains on the same wavelength and waits to know who will be crowned with the title without necessarily putting himself forward.
He even tends to talk about others, he who believes that the title must remain in the hands of a PSG player without necessarily talking about himself. He did not hesitate to highlight Kvara. For its part, KM10 is more offensive. He preaches for his parish and defends his record, clearly positioning himself as a candidate for the Ballon d’Or. He made numerous speeches in the press. This weekend, some of his statements to France Football made people talk. “some years I considered myself the best player in the world. I didn’t see a player stronger than me. Afterwards, when Messi arrived at the ceremony and won, I said the best player is on the stage. No problem. When Cristiano won, I said the same thing… For others, I watched and, even with a Ballon d’Or, I never exchange with him. But it’s a beautiful thing because it nourishes a path, a storytelling.”
Mbappé and Dembélé, frying on the line?
Then, he also mentioned the case of his compatriot. “Dembélé? But he was always seen as a talented player. I have always been seen as the chosen one. I was immediately on top, very early. He had a different journey, the injuries, but he recovered well!” Dembouz’s response was quick since he spoke about it last night after the match against Brest. “No, I’ve always been like that. I was always at the back of the class working hard. In my entire career, I didn’t say a word, I worked. (…) I was never the chosen one, I worked and I was rewarded in a fantastic year with Paris Saint-Germain. This year we’ll see, I’m watching it without pressure. We’ll see.”
This Monday, The Team returns to this outing from Le Parisien. The sports daily explains that in the Dembélé clan, we did not at all appreciate certain statements from Mbappé. His interview was read and reread several times to make sure I understood correctly. Some members of his entourage did not necessarily take it well. Among those close to him or even in the PSG locker room, some were also shocked by the release of KM10. They had “harsh words” according to the sports daily. Dembélé, who has sometimes reacted to certain comments made by Mbappé in the past, therefore responded in his own way. For his part, the Real Madrid player was surprised by Dembouz’s comments yesterday. But he will not respond publicly and the story will be resolved privately according to our colleagues. Zidane will be there to act as referee during the next break if by chance the two men fail to reach an agreement.
