"Everything some people do or say is just an campaign." Eberl criticizes Mbappé regarding comments about the Ballon d'Or.

Over the past two weeks, following Kylian Mbappé’s comments regarding the Ballon d'Or, a major debate has erupted across social media and mainstream media outlets concerning this individual award and who is currently most deserving of it.

Lamine Yamal, however, was in no mood to stay quiet. The Barcelona youngster wasted little time in sitting down for an interview, laying out exactly why he believed the accolade should be his — and the club were quick to throw their weight behind him.

• read more: Bundesliga: Ismaël Saïbari opens his account with Bayern Munich

Before long, the conversation surrounding the Ballon d'Or had narrowed to just two names, a development that caught many off guard by leaving a host of other contenders from rival clubs out of the running.

Max Eberl slams Kylian Mbappé over comments regarding the Ballon d'Or

Max Eberl, Bayern Munich's sporting director, was approached by SPORT to share his thoughts on the Ballon d'Or race and the relentless media chatter surrounding it. With two serious contenders of his own in Harry Kane and Michael Olise, Eberl pulled no punches, making it abundantly clear that genuine winners have no need for outside validation from the press — a remark that appeared to take aim at both Mbappe and Yamal.

“All that some do or say are just electoral campaigns. The best players are those who don't need a campaign to win prizes”

Max Eberl said, in a subtle but unmistakable plug for his own players.

Still, the argument isn't quite so straightforward. While Kane and Olise both enjoyed outstanding campaigns, neither lifted the World Cup nor the UEFA Champions League. What's more, Olise found himself overshadowed by Mbappe while playing alongside him for the same national team at the World Cup.

Mbappé is a strong contender for the Ballon d'Or

When it came to finding the net, nobody could touch Kylian Mbappe last year. He finished as the top scorer in practically every competition he featured in, whether for club or country, and his cutting edge in the final third proved the single biggest driving force behind both Real Madrid and France.

On that evidence alone, there's little argument that he was the finest striker of the season — and on an individual level, quite possibly the best player by a comfortable margin.

Yet there's a catch. For all his brilliance, Mbappe ended the campaign without a single trophy to his name at any level, leaving his 'team success' column sitting at zero. That said, history does offer some comfort: there have been cases before of players lifting the Ballon d'Or without any silverware to show for their efforts.

Hazem Mlhem |

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Hazem Mlhem est un rédacteur sportif expérimenté, animé par une passion pour le football africain.

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