Samuel Umtiti criticises Ballon d’Or and tells Kylian Mbappe to focus on football

Samuel Umtiti has criticised the Ballon d’Or and questioned Kylian Mbappe’s decision to publicly claim he deserves the award.

Mbappe, the Real Madrid forward, said he should win the prestigious individual prize after making history during the most recent season, particularly at the World Cup, where he became the tournament’s all-time leading scorer.

But Umtiti, the former Barcelona defender, believes Mbappe should not be involved in deciding who receives the award.

Speaking on the RMC programme Apres le foot, Umtiti said: “Mbappe is someone who is confident in himself. You could say that it is not for him to talk about who deserves the award. He should focus on what is happening on the pitch.”

The former France international also acknowledged Mbappe’s achievements while arguing that they should not automatically make him the rightful winner.

“Everyone saw that he scored a lot of goals and that he performed well at times, but if you ask him, ‘Who do you think will win the Ballon d’Or?’ he will eventually tell you that he is the one who deserves it,” Umtiti added. “It is not for him to decide the winner.”

Umtiti then turned his criticism towards the Ballon d’Or ceremony itself, saying he no longer follows the event.

“I do not watch the ceremony at all,” he said. “For forwards, winning the Ballon d’Or is a great achievement. This ceremony has completely lost its value; it harms football, which is very much a team sport. People think far more about winning the Ballon d’Or than they do about team awards.”

The former Barcelona player argued that the focus on individual recognition could undermine the importance of collective success, including major club competitions.

“You can win the Champions League with your team while thinking only about yourself,” he said. “Let us talk about statistics again, and that is not enough. Football is not just statistics.”

Umtiti also compared the current debate with the period dominated by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, suggesting the award carried a different meaning when the two players were producing exceptional numbers year after year.

“Since the Messi and Ronaldo era, I have not looked at that award anymore,” he said. “They had incredible statistics, and if they did not win a major trophy, it did not really matter because their seasons were exceptional. Now, there is not necessarily one great player who stands above the rest.”

His comments represent a direct challenge to Mbappe’s stance on the award, as well as a broader objection to the way individual honours are discussed in a sport Umtiti believes should remain centred on team achievement.