Mbappé Dismisses Tension with Dembélé Ahead of Ballon d'Or
Kylian Mbappé is walking into Ballon d’Or week with a smile on his face and a message he wants heard loud and clear: there is no feud with Ousmane Dembélé.
Rumours of a rift between the two France stars have bubbled up in recent days, fuelled by Mbappé’s comments about their contrasting careers. With both men now front and centre in the race for football’s biggest individual prize, the storyline almost wrote itself: old friends, new enemies.
Mbappé is having none of it.
Speaking to L’Équipe, the Real Madrid forward shut down the idea of any bad blood with the Paris Saint‑Germain winger. “I’ve already spoken to him about it, and there’s no tension,” he said. “He’s a friend. I don’t think there’s really any problem regarding that. I’m very relaxed about it.”
The pair helped drive France to a World Cup semi-final not so long ago. They share a dressing room with Les Bleus, a bond off the pitch and, on 26 October in London, they will share the same stage as direct rivals for the Ballon d’Or. The dynamic has changed. The relationship, Mbappé insists, has not.
‘The chosen one’ and the late bloomer
The spark for the supposed controversy came when Mbappé was asked about the prospect of Dembélé lifting the Ballon d’Or before him – an outcome that would have been almost unthinkable ten years ago.
Mbappé leaned into the contrast between their paths. “But he has always been seen as a talented player. I, on the other hand, have always been seen as the chosen one,” he explained. He pointed out that he hit the elite level as a teenager, while Dembélé’s rise has been slower, disrupted by injuries before he finally found his stride in Paris.
“I was at the top right away, from a very young age. He had a different journey, with injuries, but he has caught up really well,” Mbappé said.
Some read that as a dig. He presents it as a cold, simple truth about how their careers unfolded: one anointed early, the other forced to fight his way back through setbacks.
Mbappé backs his numbers
Behind the warmth and reassurance, there is steel. Mbappé knows exactly what is at stake in London and he believes his record gives him a powerful claim.
With Dembélé, Barcelona’s teenage sensation Lamine Yamal and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane among the leading contenders, this edition of the award feels more open than the era dominated by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Mbappé is betting on the one thing voters rarely ignore: goals.
Speaking to RFI, he underlined his case. “I had a great year on an individual level, I know that's the most important criterion for the Ballon d’Or, I was the top scorer in all the biggest competitions,” he said.
He is not hiding how much it matters. “I think it could be a good year for me, I felt it deep down!” he continued. “A Ballon d’Or has never been this wide open? That’s what they’re saying, yeah, I don’t know the entire history of the Ballon d’Or. It’s pleasant to see, to take part in it, and I think it entertains people! I’d be disappointed of course if I don’t win it!”
The race thrills him. Losing would sting. Both can be true.
Zidane steps in as Les Bleus enter a new era
All of this plays out against a backdrop of change with the national team. As Mbappé and Dembélé report for France duty, they do so under a new, towering figure.
Zinedine Zidane has taken over from Didier Deschamps as head coach after the World Cup, ushering in a fresh chapter for Les Bleus. For Mbappé, the appointment carries a personal weight.
He recalled to AS how deep their connection runs. “He was the first person who picked me up to take me to Real Madrid, to the training complex. I was 13 or 14, so it was a long time ago. Now he's my national team coach. It's like a film, but it's amazing. It's real,” he said.
The boy Zidane once drove to Madrid is now a global superstar, locked in a Ballon d’Or battle with a close friend he refuses to turn into an enemy. The coach is a legend who has already lived this stage of the game.
On October 26 in London, only one name will be called. The question is whether this wide‑open year ends by confirming Mbappé’s sense of destiny, or by rewriting the script once again.
