Has Mbappe destroyed his own Ballon d’Or chances?

Kylian Mbappé's Ballon d’Or campaign has been dragged into controversy after he allegedly directed a serious insult at Elche midfielder Gonzalo Villar during Real Madrid's 3-2 victory.

With fair play among the criteria considered for the prestigious award, the incident has given rival supporters another reason to question the Frenchman's credentials.

Real Madrid survived a difficult test at the Manuel Martínez Valero on Tuesday, claiming a narrow 3-2 victory in the sixth round of LaLiga. However, it was an incident involving Mbappé and Villar late in the match that dominated the conversation afterwards.

The two players were involved in a confrontation after a foul on Mbappé, with the Elche midfielder reportedly grabbing the Real Madrid forward by the throat before the pair pushed and argued with each other.

Villar received a yellow card for his involvement, while Mbappé escaped punishment from the referee.

Elche's social media accounts appeared to reference the confrontation the following day, posting two photographs showing Villar and Mbappé arguing with each other alongside the caption "fair play" and a rolling-eyes emoji.

According to reports and lip-readers who analysed the footage, Mbappé allegedly responded to Villar with the Spanish insult: "Son of a btch, I sht on your mother".

The precise wording cannot be independently established from the available footage, meaning the allegation remains a matter of interpretation.

The controversy arrives at an awkward time for Mbappé, who is among the leading contenders for this year's Ballon d’Or and has publicly backed his own chances of winning the award.

Individual performance and collective success are major considerations for the prize, while fair play is also included among the criteria. That has prompted rival supporters to draw the incident to the attention of the Ballon d’Or organisers, hoping it could count against the Real Madrid forward when the final decision is made.

There is, however, a distinction between an alleged on-field verbal exchange and the overall assessment of a player's season. Mbappé's performances remain a central part of his candidacy, while the circumstances surrounding the confrontation also include Villar's reported actions before the alleged insult.

For now, there is no indication that the incident will determine the Ballon d’Or result. But with the award race already attracting intense scrutiny, Mbappé's exchange with Villar has provided another talking point at a crucial stage of the contest.