Mbappé plays down Ballon d'Or jab that ruffled Dembélé's feathers

Kylian Mbappé extinguished the fire before the French squad even arrived at Clairefontaine on Monday for the first gathering of the Zinédine Zidane era. The France captain says he spoke directly with Ousmane Dembélé after his remarks about the Ballon d’Or sparked uproar within the French camp.

It all started with a statement from the Real Madrid striker in which he suggested that Dembélé, the trophy holder, did not “necessarily have the vocation” to win a second one, adding that he himself had always been “considered as the potential chosen one.” Words perceived as a misstep at best, and poorly received by the PSG leader.

Faced with the media noise generated, Mbappé chose to explain himself in the pages of L’Équipe. “I’ve already talked to him about it, there’s no tension. I really don’t think there are any real problems about this, I’m really very relaxed,” he said. He took the opportunity to point to the press as the main culprit for the escalation: “During Nations League and France team periods, you always have to find a debate and I think this one was well found.”

The episode comes in an already charged context: Didier Deschamps’ succession by Zinédine Zidane marks a generational shift and opens a new chapter for the Blues. While tensions linked to the Ballon d’Or race seem contained for now, they reveal an ego battle that could weigh on dressing room cohesion as the trophy deadline approaches.

The coming days will provide a first concrete indicator: France face Turkey, Italy and Belgium twice in the Nations League. It is on the pitch that Mbappé and Dembélé will have to confirm that their offensive partnership remains intact.