French journalist calls Mbappé's potential Ballon d'Or win "shameful"
French journalist Bertrand Latour called a potential 2026 Ballon d'Or win for Kylian Mbappé "shameful" on Canal+ Sunday, arguing the Real Madrid captain won zero trophies this calendar year. "You're all just waiting for him to win the Ballon d'Or in a year when he hasn't won anything. I'm telling you, that would be a shameful Ballon d'Or," Latour said on Canal Football Club ahead of Monday's ceremony in London.
Mbappé moved to Madrid last summer but saw his first season end without La Liga, Champions League, or international silverware—France exited Euro 2024 in the semi-finals. Yet he remains among the favorites alongside Bayern Munich's Harry Kane, who scored 44 goals across all competitions, and Barcelona's teenage sensation Lamine Yamal, who starred in Spain's Euro 2024 triumph.
The debate cuts to football's core tension: individual brilliance versus collective success. For Nigerian fans who track European football religiously, this year's vote tests whether the award still rewards winning or has become a stats popularity contest. Kane's goal haul and Yamal's tournament winner's medal make strong cases. Mbappé's case rests on talent pedigree and Madrid's Galáctico aura.
Monday's ceremony in London will settle it. Does the Ballon d'Or still belong to winners, or has the definition shifted?