Next month, France Football will announce the winner of the 2026 Ballon d’Or award. Kylian Mbappe is one of the leading contenders, having won the golden boots in La Liga, Champions League and 2026 World Cup, although not everyone is convinced that he should be in the running.

In particular, some have taken offence to Mbappe’s recent streak of interviews. The Real Madrid man has spoken to several media outlets regarding the Ballon d’Or , and this has drawn strong criticism from former French footballer Jerome Rothen, as per RMC Sport (via Sport ).

“I’m going to be careful with what I say, because it always provokes reactions, but they’re not going to shut my mouth in any way. But I don’t know if you really realise, do you realize that right now he’s trying to buy votes for the Ballon d’Or… to get that f****** Ballon d’Or?

“If he wins the Ballon d’Or, to begin with it seems like a farce, but we will all be clear about it. Here we talk about football, but it’s not just former players who come out, sometimes we talk to each other. We all think the same of him, and not only small-time players, but the big ones also think the same of him. At least now we have confirmation that there is a real campaign on his part, on the part of his entourage: it is essential that Kylian Mbappe wins the Ballon d’Or. But hey, if he wins the Ballon d’Or, I think he’s going to be very alone.”

French journalist Daniel Riolo was equally as critical when he spoke on Mbappe, citing a recent interview with RFI, during which Mbappe promised to dedicate the Ballon d’Or to the people of Africa, as being the clearest indication yet that he “has a strategy” to win the award.

“There is a huge strategy behind it. And it seems to me that it is practically the interview that structures his campaign the most, almost. I don’t think we doubted it before it was in the campaign, but when I saw RFI, I said to myself: ‘Wow, here we are really facing a worldwide organisation’, and right after we found out about CNN.

“On Sunday in the derby he played a catastrophic game. The interview was given on Friday afternoon, 48 hours before the match. It is his obsession of the moment. It took 17 days to organise the interview, such a long interview preparation is amazing, I would tell you that it comes more from the Mbappé clan than from RFI. It’s his current obsession… What he says in this interview is pure demagoguery. He arrives with all the paraphernalia and confetti. He can be seen from miles away. It’s like a stolen car.”