Yes, Kylian Mbappé is a candidate for the 2026 Ballon d’Or. But no, he does not tick all the criteria to win it. In terms of class and fair play, the French striker from Real Madrid did not score a point by multiplying interviews to campaign and praise his merits. In any case, that’s what Jean-Pierre Papin, winner of the trophy in 1991, thinks.
“Kylian, I really like it, he’s a record-breaker. On the other hand, at one point, it’s me, me, me and mehe confides to France Télévisions. We become Ballon d’Or, we can’t say that we want to. The Ballon d’Or is the others who decide. At one point, in his communication, it was: ‘no one other than me deserves the Ballon d’Or’. It was a little too much for me. »
Jean-Pierre Papin drunk by Kylian Mbappé
“Today, when you look at how the Ballon d’Or is awarded, there are a whole bunch of criteria. The rest, everything is fine, but this criterion (that of fair play) in relation to Kylian, it is not okay”judge “JPP”, who has another favorite than Merengue. And it’s not Lamine Yamal. “I have a bit of a weakness for Harry Kane. He had an incredible season,” recognizes the former French international.
“He scored 73 goals (61 with Bayern Munich and 12 with England) in the year. He is the Golden Boot, I think he had a very, very good World Cup too. And I find his communication classy, there is not a single wrong word, appreciates Jean-Pierre Papin. He’s only here for football, and that’s nice to see. » A good lesson for Kylian Mbappé in the future?
