Mbappé Dismisses Tension with Dembélé Ahead of Ballon d'Or
Kylian Mbappé is heading into Ballon d’Or week with a smile on his face and a message he wants to be heard clearly: there is no feud with Ousmane Dembélé.
Rumours of a rift between the two France stars have bubbled up in recent days, fuelled by Mbappé’s comments about their contrasting careers. With both men among the frontrunners for the award to be handed out in London on October 26, the storyline wrote itself: former Paris Saint-Germain teammates, now rivals, with egos supposedly colliding.
Mbappé is having none of it.
Speaking to L’Equipe, the Real Madrid forward dismissed the noise around his relationship with the Paris Saint-Germain winger. “I’ve already spoken to him about it, and there’s no tension,” he said. “He’s a friend. I don’t think there’s really any problem regarding that. I’m very relaxed about it.”
Relaxed, but not indifferent. The Ballon d’Or matters to him. So does how his words are interpreted.
‘The chosen one’ and the late bloomer
The spark for the speculation came when Mbappé was asked about the possibility of Dembélé winning a Ballon d’Or before him – a scenario almost unimaginable ten years ago, when Mbappé was already being groomed as football’s next global icon.
“But he has always been seen as a talented player. I, on the other hand, have always been seen as the chosen one,” Mbappé explained.
That line travelled fast. Out of context, it sounded like a dig. In context, it was a blunt description of two very different journeys.
“I was at the top right away, from a very young age,” he said. “He had a different journey, with injuries, but he has caught up really well.”
One was a teenage phenomenon, lifting World Cups and Champions League expectations before he could legally drink in some countries. The other had to wrestle with repeated fitness problems, stop-start seasons and questions about whether he would ever fully deliver on his outrageous talent. Now Dembélé has finally found rhythm and authority in Paris, just as the Ballon d’Or race has opened up.
Some read Mbappé’s words as condescending. He insists it is simply the truth of their development: two friends, two paths, converging on the same stage.
A wide‑open Ballon d’Or — and Mbappé’s case
What is not in doubt is Mbappé’s belief that his own numbers put him right at the front of the queue. He has leaned heavily on his scoring record over the past year, arguing that in an unusually open edition of the award, cold statistics should carry the day.
Speaking to RFI, he laid out his case plainly. “I had a great year on an individual level, I know that’s the most important criterion for the Ballon d’Or, I was the top scorer in all the biggest competitions,” he said.
No modesty there, and none expected. This is Mbappé in his natural state: ambitious, unapologetic, comfortable under the brightest lights.
He knows the field is crowded. Dembélé is in the mix. So are Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane. There is no Lionel Messi versus Cristiano Ronaldo duopoly to define the narrative this time. The trophy feels up for grabs.
“I think it could be a good year for me, I felt it deep down!” Mbappé continued. “A Ballon d’Or has never been this wide open? That’s what they’re saying, yeah, I don’t know the entire history of the Ballon d’Or. It’s pleasant to see, to take part in it, and I think it entertains people! I’d be disappointed of course if I don’t win it!”
There it is: enjoyment and edge. He relishes the show, but he fully expects to be the star.
From Madrid dream to Zidane reality
While the individual battle rages on, Mbappé and Dembélé are back on the same side this week, reunited with France under a new – and very familiar – face.
Zinedine Zidane has taken charge of Les Bleus, succeeding Didier Deschamps after the World Cup. For Mbappé, the appointment closes a circle that began long before he became a global name.
“He was the first person who picked me up to take me to Real Madrid, to the training complex. I was 13 or 14, so it was a long time ago. Now he’s my national team coach. It’s like a film, but it’s amazing. It’s real,” he told AS.
The boy who once climbed into Zidane’s car to visit Madrid is now leading Zidane’s attack for France, chasing the Ballon d’Or while sharing a dressing room with Dembélé, one of his closest allies and fiercest rivals.
No tension, he insists. Just competition at the very top of the game – and a golden night in London that could reshape the hierarchy of a generation.
