2026 Ballon d'Or: Kylian Mbappé harshly criticised after finishing second

On Monday evening, Kylian Mbappé came very close to winning the 2026 Ballon d’Or. Finishing second behind Harry Kane, the Frenchman achieved the best ranking of his career in the race for the individual trophy.

Mbappé fell just a few points short of winning the award. The Frenchman's performance did not stop Bertrand Latour from harshly criticising his attitude. Indeed, on the Canal+ programme, the journalist did not mince his words about the France captain, questioning the way he tried to secure the accolade.

“It has never happened before that someone has pushed so hard to win the Ballon d’Or. He was capable of saying that Africa was an important continent to him in order to win the Ballon d’Or. He should stop pressuring people to vote for him. The presidential election is in 2027, and it will be decided at the ballot box. Football is played on the pitch. Win matches, win trophies, be appreciated by your teammates and have class. Don’t fall out with your friends, whom you have known for ten years, to win the Ballon d’Or…”, he declared.

Mbappé reacted before the ceremony

So it is another year without a Ballon d’Or for Kylian Mbappé. On his social media accounts, during the night from Monday to Tuesday, the French striker simply posted a photo of himself on the red carpet at the London Palladium before the ceremony, accompanied by a single emoji.

Read also: 2026 Ballon d'Or: the list of the 10 finalists (Official)

Joshua SOSSOU

Editorfr, en, ar

As a sports fan, and particularly a football fan, I've been putting my writing talent to good use for a number of years now to promote African talent and the continent's football in general. On Foot Africa, enjoy reading each of my lines.

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