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SportsQuiet 2d · day 9

Mbappé and Dembélé clash over 2026 Ballon d'Or as campaign season heats up

France teammates vie for the award with competing narratives about merit and hard work as voting closes.

newest coverage 2d agosummary written 2d ago15 pieces NewswiresRedditGoogle News

What to know

  • Mbappé and Dembélé, both French contenders, have publicly sparred over who deserves the award, with Mbappé citing World Cup and club scoring records while Dembélé emphasizes hard work and humility.
  • The 2026 race has no clear favorite; PSG has a record 10 nominees but refuses to back a single candidate, while Real Madrid's Mbappé campaigns actively for a Ballon d'Or return to the Bernabéu.
  • Real Madrid will attend the October 26 London ceremony regardless of Mbappé's result, signaling improved relations with UEFA—a stark reversal from 2024 when they boycotted after Vinicius Jr. lost.
  • Players, coaches, and media figures are actively campaigning for their candidates, a trend that has grown in recent years as the award's marketing value and sponsorship weight have increased.

The dispute Whether raw goal-scoring statistics alone should determine the winner, or whether tournament performance and overall influence should carry equal weight. · positions read across 2 posts and comments

many voices

Mbappé deserves it based on World Cup and Champions League scoring records.

  • “Mbappe has more goals than Kane and yamam in world cup and cl its not that hard.”

    SpendExciting2458 · Reddit ↗
some voices

Harry Kane should win based on numbers, tournament performance, and overall impact.

  • “What's left of the credibility of the award is gone if Harry Kane does not win it. Insane numbers, UCL Semi-final and World Cup 3rd place where he was influential”

    PlasticWorldliness33 · Reddit ↗

Kylian MbappéKylian Mbappé Real Madrid forwardOusmane DembéléOusmane Dembélé PSG forward, defending Ballon d'Or holderKhvicha KvaratskheliaKhvicha Kvaratskhelia PSG forwardLuis EnriqueLuis Enrique PSG coachJose Felix Diaz Spanish journalistLamine YamalLamine Yamal Barcelona forward

Mbappé and Dembélé clash over 2026 Ballon d'Or as campaign season heats up
Yahoo Sports

How it unfolded 7 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlespostscomments

Peak 4 pieces in two hours at Sep 21, 8 AM; 15 pieces over 9 days (10 articles · 3 posts · 2 comments) Sep 15, 6 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 15, 8 AM — quietSep 15, 10 AM — quietSep 15, 12 PM — quietSep 15, 2 PM — quietSep 15, 4 PM — quietSep 15, 6 PM — quietSep 15, 8 PM — quietSep 15, 10 PM — quietSep 16, 12 AM — quietSep 16, 2 AM — quietSep 16, 4 AM — quietSep 16, 6 AM — quietSep 16, 8 AM — quietSep 16, 10 AM — quietSep 16, 12 PM — quietSep 16, 2 PM — quietSep 16, 4 PM — quietSep 16, 6 PM — quietSep 16, 8 PM — quietSep 16, 10 PM — quietSep 17, 12 AM — quietSep 17, 2 AM — quietSep 17, 4 AM — quietSep 17, 6 AM — 2 pieces · 2 articles — Google News 2Sep 17, 8 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Reddit 1Sep 17, 10 AM — quietSep 17, 12 PM — quietSep 17, 2 PM — quietSep 17, 4 PM — quietSep 17, 6 PM — quietSep 17, 8 PM — quietSep 17, 10 PM — quietSep 18, 12 AM — quietSep 18, 2 AM — quietSep 18, 4 AM — quietSep 18, 6 AM — quietSep 18, 8 AM — quietSep 18, 10 AM — quietSep 18, 12 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Reddit 1Sep 18, 2 PM — quietSep 18, 4 PM — quietSep 18, 6 PM — quietSep 18, 8 PM — quietSep 18, 10 PM — quietSep 19, 12 AM — quietSep 19, 2 AM — 2 pieces · 2 articles — Newswires 2Sep 19, 4 AM — quietSep 19, 6 AM — quietSep 19, 8 AM — quietSep 19, 10 AM — quietSep 19, 12 PM — quietSep 19, 2 PM — quietSep 19, 4 PM — quietSep 19, 6 PM — quietSep 19, 8 PM — quietSep 19, 10 PM — quietSep 20, 12 AM — quietSep 20, 2 AM — quietSep 20, 4 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 20, 6 AM — quietSep 20, 8 AM — quietSep 20, 10 AM — quietSep 20, 12 PM — quietSep 20, 2 PM — quietSep 20, 4 PM — quietSep 20, 6 PM — quietSep 20, 8 PM — quietSep 20, 10 PM — quietSep 21, 12 AM — quietSep 21, 2 AM — quietSep 21, 4 AM — quietSep 21, 6 AM — quietSep 21, 8 AM — 4 pieces · 2 articles · 1 post · 1 comment — Reddit 2, Newswires 2Sep 21, 10 AM — 2 pieces · 1 article · 1 comment — Reddit 1, Newswires 1Sep 21, 12 PM — quietSep 21, 2 PM — quietSep 21, 4 PM — quietSep 21, 6 PM — quietSep 21, 8 PM — quietSep 21, 10 PM — quietSep 22, 12 AM — quietSep 22, 2 AM — quietSep 22, 4 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 22, 6 AM — quietSep 22, 8 AM — quietSep 22, 10 AM — quietSep 22, 12 PM — quietSep 22, 2 PM — quietSep 22, 4 PM — quietSep 22, 6 PM — quietSep 22, 8 PM — quietSep 22, 10 PM — quietYesterday, 12 AM — quietYesterday, 2 AM — quietYesterday, 4 AM — quietYesterday, 6 AM — quietYesterday, 8 AM — quietYesterday, 10 AM — quietYesterday, 12 PM — quietYesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 4 PM — quietYesterday, 6 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 10 PM — quietToday, 12 AM — quietToday, 2 AM — quietToday, 4 AM — quietToday, 6 AM — quietToday, 8 AM — quiet 12–345–67
Sep 16Sep 17Sep 18Sep 19Sep 20Sep 21Sep 22yesterdaynow · 10:46 AM ET
  1. 7

    Mbappé downplays tension with Dembélé, says he's calm

    In an interview with France Football, Mbappé states he has said everything he needs to say on the subject and dismisses talk of tension, saying he is calm and has done everything he could.

    “I think I've already said everything on the subject. People weren't happy when I talked about it too much, but that's how it is. I'm calm about it, calm. I've done everything I could, and I think I've done well. And now we wait.”
    — Kylian Mbappé

    • What's left of the credibility of the award is gone if Harry Kane does not win it. Insane numbers, UCL Semi-final and World Cup 3rd place where he was influential I'm french and hate to admit a British guy deserves it but the numbers speak for themselves

      PlasticWorldliness33r/soccer2d agoview on r/soccer ↗
    1 more of the top 2 · 2 posts in this stretch

    • Mbappe has more goals than Kane and yamam in world cup and cl its not that hard.

      SpendExciting2458r/soccer3d agoview on r/soccer ↗
    all of them →
  2. 1 day quiet
  3. 6

    Real Madrid will attend ceremony regardless of Mbappé outcome

    Journalist Jose Felix Diaz reports that Real Madrid will attend the October 26 ceremony win or lose, citing improved relations with UEFA. This differs sharply from 2024 when the club boycotted after Vinicius Jr. lost to Rodri.

    “Now there is an understanding with UEFA, which, let's remember, is involved in the awards, and I think there will be no problem with Real Madrid appearing at the gala, which this year is in London, win or lose…”
    — Jose Felix Diaz
    1. 1 outlet Spanish journalist explains what Real Madrid will do if Kylian Mbappe does not win Ballon d’Or

      first by Yahoo Sports, 5d ago

  4. 5

    Zinédine Zidane asked to weigh in on Mbappé-Dembélé feud

    Media coverage turns to Zidane for commentary on the dispute between the two France teammates vying for the award.

    1. 1 outlet ☕️🥐 FC Breakfast: Zidane on Dembélé-Mbappé 🎙️, Da Cunha 🪄, Olise 🔥

      first by Yahoo Sports, 5d ago

  5. 4

    Dembélé and Kvaratskhelia make competing endorsements

    PSG duo Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia publicly back different candidates: Dembélé says he would vote for Mbappé, while Kvaratskhelia calls Dembélé 'the best player in the world.'

    1. 1 outlet first by Yahoo Sports, 4d ago · read ↗

  6. 3

    Dembélé fires back, emphasizes hard work and restraint

    After PSG's victory over Brest, Dembélé responds to Mbappé's remarks by stressing that he worked hard throughout his career without self-promotion and earned his award in a successful year with Paris.

    “I have always been like this, at the back of the class working hard. Throughout my career I did not say a single word, rather I worked hard…”
    — Ousmane Dembélé
  7. 2

    Mbappé contrasts himself with Dembélé, sparking criticism

    Mbappé tells AS that he has always been considered 'the chosen player' whereas Dembélé was viewed as merely talented, and notes Dembélé's career path was altered by injuries. The comment triggers backlash.

    “He has always been viewed as a talented player, whereas I have always been considered the chosen player…”
    — Kylian Mbappé
  8. background

    Mbappé declares he deserves the award, emphasizes World Cup legacy — In an interview with AS, Mbappé states the award should return to Real Madrid and argues that his record as all-time World Cup top scorer (22 goals) and top scorer in Liga and Champions League make him the deserving candidate.

  9. 1 day quiet
  10. 1

    Players and teams launch active campaigns as voting deadline approaches

    With less than two weeks before voting closes, stars begin publicly promoting their candidacies. PSG coach Luis Enrique declines to pick a single candidate from his record 10 nominees, while Mbappé emphasizes his World Cup achievements.

    “For me Kvara could win the Ballon d'Or, as could Dembele and others…”
    — Luis Enrique
    1. 1 outlet As Ballon d'Or vote nears, stars campaign for the award

      first by Yahoo Sports, 9d ago

  11. background

    France Football releases 30-candidate Ballon d'Or list — The award organizer announces the nominees to succeed Ousmane Dembélé. The ceremony is set for October 26 in London.

Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet

  1. 2 outlets Mbappé brushes off talk of tension with France teammate Dembélé as Ballon d’Or race heats up

    first by Philadelphia Inquirer, 3d ago · also Yahoo Sports

and 4 smaller pieces

What people are saying 0 voices from 0 sites · best of 2 · verbatim