Umtiti compares Mbappe-Dembele Ballon d’Or dispute with Messi’s silence

Former Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti has mocked the public disagreement between France team-mates Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele over the 2026 Ballon d’Or.

Real Madrid forward Mbappe and Paris Saint-Germain striker Dembele, who won the award last year, are among the leading contenders for this year’s prize. Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal and Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi, the club’s former star, are also considered candidates.

The dispute began after Mbappe was interviewed by France Football last Saturday. The magazine has awarded the Ballon d’Or since 1956.

“Dembele was always seen as a talented player, whereas I was always considered the chosen player,” Mbappe, who also represents France, said.

Dembele responded: “I was never seen as the chosen player, but I worked hard and last year I was rewarded with a great season at Paris Saint-Germain.”

Umtiti referred to Messi while discussing the exchange on RMC Sport.

“At Barcelona, I never saw Messi talk about the Ballon d’Or in that way,” he said. Messi has won the award a record eight times.

Umtiti, as quoted by Mundo Deportivo, added: “During my time at Barcelona, Messi never made comments like that about the Ballon d’Or. I find it difficult to understand, but that is Kylian, and I think it may annoy some of his team-mates.”

The former Barcelona defender, described in the source as a 2026 World Cup winner, said Mbappe’s comments had been taken out of context and were not intended as an insult to Dembele.

“When I watched again what Kylian said, he did not insult Ousmane,” Umtiti said. “His words were taken out of context, because before that he had praised Ousmane a lot.”

He also stressed that the two players had very different personalities and ways of communicating.

“The two players have completely different personalities. Ousmane is not Kylian, and vice versa,” Umtiti said. “We know that Kylian has his own way of expressing himself and that, sometimes, we have to understand what he means. We need to look at things from a broader perspective.”

Umtiti said the comments ultimately concerned Dembele’s ability and reflected the expectations surrounding the award.

“In the end, I saw that he was talking about Ousmane and his talent, and it is true that nobody expected Ousmane to win the Ballon d’Or,” he said. “Everyone said Kylian would win it. What he said is the truth. There is no reason for them to be angry.”