Ballon d'Or 2026: Spanish journalists pile on Mbappé

In his comments about the 2026 Ballon d'Or, Kylian Mbappé has drawn widespread criticism in Spain.

With just a few days to go before voting closes, Kylian Mbappé said he believed he had enjoyed “an excellent year individually”, which he considers the most important criterion for winning the award. The Frenchman's comments prompted reactions from several Cadena SER journalists. Julio Pulido questioned how Real Madrid supporters could receive such a statement when their team has recently gone without a major trophy, while Javier Herráez believes the Frenchman would have been better off avoiding such comments after his performance in the derby against Atlético.

Read also: 2026 Ballon d'Or: Nacho Fernández campaigns for Kylian Mbappé

It must be said that the criticism has been even harsher regarding his candidacy for the 2026 Ballon d'Or. Antón Meana says that Mbappé does not even feature in his top five, with players such as Lamine Yamal, Rodri, Harry Kane, Ousmane Dembélé, Vitinha and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia ahead of him. For his part, Dani Garrido criticises him for placing too much emphasis on his individual statistics and points out that Harry Kane won the Golden Boot.

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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