Mbappé beaten by Kane for Ballon d'Or: one disappointment too many at 26

Harry Kane was crowned Ballon d’Or in London, ahead of Kylian Mbappé who left empty-handed once again despite an unprecedented communications campaign waged throughout the season.

The French striker had staked everything on this edition. Buoyed by major individual performances, notably at the World Cup, Mbappé had convinced himself that the odds were in his favour. This conviction translated into an unusually aggressive media presence, multiplying interviews to defend his candidacy — to the point, according to some, of falling out with Ousmane Dembélé.

When Cristiano Ronaldo opened the envelope to reveal the winner’s name, the atmosphere in the room froze. Journalist Dave Apadoo, present at the ceremony, described the scene with precision: “I had the impression that it was the one for whom the blow was most violent. I had the impression that something was crashing down on Kylian Mbappé.”

Apadoo also put the France captain’s trajectory into perspective: “People were already telling Mbappé when he was 19-20 that he had time. Ultimately, he’ll reach 28 without having won a Ballon d’Or yet.” He added that the player had seemed to “stake everything this year”, which made the failure all the more heavy.

The question of a sporting backlash now arises. “We know he’s a solid guy, but we’ve known others who suffered the backlash of a Ballon d’Or they thought they had and ultimately didn’t,” Apadoo said. “It was even harder than other years.”

Lamine Yamal, 17, was also among the serious contenders. His youth leaves him a margin that Mbappé, on the eve of his thirties, is beginning to see shrink.