World Cup winner Christophe Dugarry has described Kylian Mbappe’s comments about winning the Ballon d’Or as “childish and pathetic”, accusing the Real Madrid and France forward of putting individual recognition ahead of the team.
The Ballon d’Or ceremony will take place in London next month, with the award being presented for the 70th time. Mbappe has backed himself to win the prize, despite currently trailing Ousmane Dembele, Harry Kane and Lamine Yamal in the standings.
Mbappe scored 42 goals in 44 appearances for Real Madrid last season and believes his performances in the most important competition should strengthen his claim.
“There are many people that speak about me and the Ballon d'Or. Of course I've made history in the most important competition. Maybe it's a good year for this, but people can vote according to what they think.
“I always think I'm the best (player in the world), but everyone has their own opinion. Maybe people think different ways. I don't think it's a discussion we need to have.”
While some may interpret Mbappe’s words as evidence of self-belief, Dugarry viewed them as a sign of arrogance and immaturity. The former France international, who won the World Cup with his country, was particularly critical of Mbappe speaking publicly about an individual award while captaining France.
"To publicly ask for an individual award like that, I find it childish and pathetic," Dugarry said. "There’s nothing great about asking for it, especially as captain of your national team."
Dugarry also argued that football’s growing focus on personal achievements was damaging the collective nature of the sport.
“Football is becoming more and more individualistic, and far too often it makes me sick," he added. "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.”
Mbappe’s individual statistics remain impressive, but his prospects of winning the Ballon d’Or have been weakened by the lack of major silverware during the campaign.
Neither France nor Real Madrid won a trophy, a factor that leaves Mbappe outside the leading group for many voters despite his goalscoring record.
His comments came as attention turned towards the final stages of the Ballon d’Or process, with Dembele, Kane and Yamal currently regarded as being ahead of him in the standings. The ceremony in London will determine whether Mbappe’s performances are enough to overcome the criticism surrounding his campaign and his public confidence about winning the prize.