Papin says Mbappé’s campaign hurt his Ballon d’Or chances

“He reminds me of Ronaldo,” Jean-Pierre Papin said of Kylian Mbappé, while renewing his criticism of the way the forward promoted his Ballon d’Or case. The Frenchman, who won the award in 1991, believes that media campaign counted against his compatriot, who finished second behind England’s Harry Kane by what was described as a narrow points margin.

Papin set out his view on Wednesday on RMC’s “Rothen s’enflamme”. “Mbappé’s media campaign hurt him,” he said, expressing regret that the player had taken that approach despite his technical qualities and his standing at Real Madrid.

The former winner believes that wanting the trophy is not enough: the decision rests with the journalists casting votes. In his view, Mbappé went too far in promoting himself by repeatedly presenting himself as the candidate most deserving of victory. Papin also believes the player’s performances and qualities should have spoken for themselves, rather than requiring him to restate his case in every media appearance.

The criticism predates the result. On October 12, on the French television programme “Live Club”, Papin had already faulted the France captain for talking too much about his chances. He said he liked Mbappé and admired his achievements and records, but summed up the player’s message as a repeated “Me, me, me and me”. In an interview published the Sunday before the ceremony, Papin had also made clear his preference for Kane, praising his prolific season and composed approach with the media.

In an interview published by “France Football” on September 11, Mbappé had said that no player had been better than him over the previous season and that he would vote for himself if he were on the jury. The contest with Kane was decided by fewer than 41 points, Vincent Garcia said. He added that Mbappé had led the vote for part of the process before Kane moved ahead in the closing stages; the full breakdown of votes was due to be published later.

Second place is Mbappé’s best finish in the Ballon d’Or voting, improving on the third place he achieved in 2023. The award is decided by specialist journalists from 100 countries, using criteria that prioritize individual performances, followed by team achievements and sporting conduct.