Mbappé Dismisses Dembele Tension Ahead of Ballon d'Or

Kylian Mbappé is heading into Ballon d’Or week with a smile on his face and a point to make. Not about his numbers – those speak loudly enough – but about his friendship with Ousmane Dembele.

Reports of a rift between the two France stars have followed Mbappé’s recent comments comparing their careers. The Real Madrid forward has heard the noise. He is not buying it.

“I’ve already spoken to him about it, and there’s no tension,” Mbappé told L’Equipe, shutting the door on the story. “He’s a friend. I don’t think there’s really any problem regarding that. I’m very relaxed about it.”

Relaxed off the pitch, ruthless rivals on it.

The pair helped drag France to a World Cup semi-final not long ago. Now they walk the same red carpet in London on October 26 as direct competitors for the game’s most coveted individual prize. Two friends, one trophy.

‘The chosen one’ and the slow burn

The debate kicked off when Mbappé was asked about the possibility of Dembele winning a Ballon d’Or before him – a scenario almost unthinkable ten years ago, when Mbappé was already being tipped as the future of the sport.

“But he has always been seen as a talented player. I, on the other hand, have always been seen as the chosen one,” Mbappé said, laying out the contrast.

He did not dress it up. He did not need to.

“I was at the top right away, from a very young age. He had a different journey, with injuries, but he has caught up really well.”

Some read that as a dig. Mbappé insists it is nothing more than a blunt assessment of how their paths diverged: one a teenage phenomenon, the other a stop-start talent finally exploding into full form in Paris after years of fitness setbacks.

A wide-open race – and Mbappé fancies it

The ceremony in London is shaping into one of the most unpredictable in recent memory. Dembele is not Mbappé’s only obstacle. Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane are also in the frame, part of a field without a clear Lionel Messi–Cristiano Ronaldo-style hierarchy.

Mbappé, though, looks at his own body of work and sees a compelling case.

Speaking to RFI, he did not hide his belief in his season. “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.

The numbers are his argument. The tone is that of a man who knows exactly what this award usually rewards.

“I think it could be a good year for me, I felt it deep down!” he continued. A smile in the words, but also an edge. “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!”

He is enjoying the spectacle. He is also staking his claim.

Zidane steps in as Les Bleus era turns a page

All this plays out against a backdrop of change with France. As Mbappé and Dembele link up again in national colours, a new figure stands at the edge of the training pitch: Zinedine Zidane, now officially in charge after the long reign of Didier Deschamps.

For Mbappé, this is not just a coaching change. It is a full-circle moment.

“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.

From a car ride to a trial at Valdebebas to leading France under Zidane’s orders, Mbappé’s story keeps looping back to the legends he once watched on television.

Now he stands on the brink of a first Ballon d’Or, shoulder to shoulder with a close friend turned rival, guided by a childhood idol in the national team. The tension, he insists, is not with Dembele.

The real tension sits in London, waiting for an envelope to be opened.