France legend slams Mbappe for Ballon d'Or claim

Former France international Christophe Dugarry has criticised Kylian Mbappé, labelling the Real Madrid forward's public pursuit of the 2026 Ballon d'Or as "childish and pathetic."

The 1998 World Cup winner addressed the 27-year-old's media campaign, condemning his focus on personal accolades over collective achievements.

Dugarry questioned the optics of a national team captain openly campaigning for an individual award.

"To publicly ask for an individual award like that, I find it CHILDISH and PATHETIC," Dugarry stated. "There’s nothing great about asking for it, especially as captain of your national team. 

“Football is becoming more and more individualistic, and far too often it makes me sick. Instead of talking about yourself and individual awards, you should be talking about the team, about sharing success and about the trophies you didn’t win but wanted to win together."

The criticism arrives after Mbappé declared he deserves to win the award based on his statistical output.

The forward claimed his second successive Pichichi Trophy during the 2025/26 campaign, recording 25 goals in 31 LALIGA appearances. He also finished as the UEFA Champions League top scorer with 15 goals, accumulating 42 total goals across 44 appearances for Real Madrid.

However, Real Madrid finished the club season without a single piece of major silverware under the management of Xabi Alonso and Álvaro Arbeloa.

At the international level, Mbappé registered 10 goals in seven appearances during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, securing his second consecutive Golden Boot. France finished the tournament in fourth place following a 6-4 defeat to England in the third-place playoff.

Despite the lack of team trophies, Mbappé argued that the Ballon d'Or should prioritise individual excellence. His summer record established him as the all-time leading goalscorer in World Cup history with 22 total tournament goals, surpassing Lionel Messi.