Kylian Mbappe’s Ballon d’Or campaign branded ‘a joke’ by French media

Kylian Mbappe’s public campaign for the Ballon d’Or has been criticised by French journalists, with Daniel Riolo saying the Real Madrid forward’s repeated comments about winning the award were becoming “close to ridicule”.

The Ballon d’Or winner will be announced on 26 October, with Mbappe seeking recognition despite ending last season without a trophy for either Real Madrid or France.

Speaking on RMC Sport, Riolo questioned the scale of the media campaign surrounding the 27-year-old.

“Mbappe’s media campaign to win the Ballon d’Or is approaching ridicule, given how often he talks about his chances of receiving the award,” said Riolo, a journalist for French radio station RMC.

“He exaggerates his individual achievements to convince voters, despite finishing last season without any trophies with either Real Madrid or the national team.

“There is a huge amount of exaggeration in the way people talk about the player and what he contributes to the team. It is like a stolen car.”

Mbappe has openly discussed his hopes of winning the prize. In an interview with RFI, he said: “It would be disappointing not to win the Ballon d’Or. There was no-one better than me last season.”

He added: “They will not announce a team when they open the envelope; they will announce a player. The ability to produce an outstanding individual level and amaze people is what determines the winner of an award such as the Ballon d’Or.”

Mbappe also said: “I was the top scorer in all the major competitions, and I believe last year was a good one for me. I have a good feeling.”

The France international finished as La Liga’s leading scorer with 25 goals and was also the Champions League’s top scorer with 15. He additionally became the leading goalscorer in World Cup history, with 22 goals.

Riolo said Mbappe’s RFI interview was a central part of a carefully planned effort to influence the Ballon d’Or vote.

“There is a huge strategy behind it, and I believe this particular interview forms a major part of his campaign,” he said. “I had no doubt that he had started his campaign, but when I watched the RFI interview, I said to myself: we are looking at organisation on a global level.”

Former France player and RMC presenter Jerome Rothen delivered a more severe assessment.

“If Mbappe wins the Ballon d’Or, it will be a joke, and he will find himself very alone,” Rothen said.

“I do not know whether you realise it, but he is currently trying to buy votes to win the Ballon d’Or and secure that award.”

Rothen added: “If Mbappe wins the Ballon d’Or, it will be a farce for me, but everyone will be clear about what happened. We are talking about football, not just former players. Sometimes we speak among ourselves, and everyone is thinking the same thing about him.”

France begin their Nations League campaign against Turkey on Friday. They are in Group A alongside Italy, Turkey and Belgium.

Mbappe has won 106 international caps for France and scored 66 goals.