A polite reply, not a retreat
The question had been hanging over the game all week. Lamine Yamal had put himself right at the top of the global pecking order alongside Kylian Mbappe, while insisting the Ballon d’Or should be his. The Frenchman chose to answer in the pages of the Spanish daily AS on Thursday.
“I feel like he’s going to have a great career,” said the Real Madrid forward about his Catalan rival. No jab, no public dressing-down. The line leaves the argument open on purpose.
Asked about his own chances, Mbappe chose to shift the focus. “I can talk with my mouth but my best lawyer, I think, is my feet. It’s football, I try to stay focused on the pitch at all times.”
Try it for $0.99.
A trophy that has slipped away for a decade
The context gives that restraint some bite. Mbappe has been chasing the Ballon d’Or since he broke into the top level. A world champion at 19, a World Cup final scorer, he has never lifted the sport’s biggest individual prize. His move to Real Madrid in 2024 was meant to fix that oddity.
In the same interview, the Bondy-born star also owned up to the weight of the white shirt, explaining that a Real Madrid player operates at a higher level. A neat reminder of where this case is won and lost.
Across from him, Yamal is playing the opposite card: boldness, backed by the belief that he has nothing to lose.
The countdown is on
The voting closes on 28 September. So there are only a few days left to sway jurors who have probably made up their minds already. This week’s media rounds come late in the process.
Mbappe has clearly done the math. Say little, play plenty, and let the ballots fall where they may.
Discover more football news on our mathodds website and app!
in your pocket.
Real-time notifications & alerts
Leave a Reply