Former France international, Bixente Lizarazu, has criticised Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe over his conduct in the build-up to the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony, accusing the Frenchman of lacking humility.
Mbappe finished second in the voting behind Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane, who claimed the prestigious award.
Speaking on TF1’s Téléfoot on Sunday, the 1998 World Cup winner expressed his disappointment with Mbappe’s attitude before the ceremony, describing his approach as overly focused on himself.
Lizarazu accused the 27-year-old of excessive self-promotion and failing to acknowledge the contributions of other players.
He said, “He went off the rails on the Ballon d’Or sequence. I didn’t like it at all. He went into something hyper-individualistic, a lack of humility, self-promotion, a bit of forgetting the others. You had the impression there was only him and the others didn’t exist.”
Lizarazu’s criticism followed a series of interviews Mbappe granted before the Ballon d’Or voting deadline in London on October 26.
During one of the interviews with France Football, the Real Madrid forward admitted that he would vote for himself, insisting that he believed he had a strong chance of winning the award.
Mbappe also responded with “me, always” when asked who he considered the best footballer in the world.
However, Kane eventually emerged as the winner with 1,055 points, finishing 28 points ahead of Mbappe, while Barcelona youngster Lamine Yamal occupied third position with 881 points.
Despite his criticism, Lizarazu dismissed suggestions that Mbappe’s public campaign for the award influenced the voting outcome.
The former defender explained that the Ballon d’Or winner is selected by 100 journalists representing 100 different countries, making it unlikely that Mbappe’s comments determined the result.
Instead, Lizarazu raised concerns about the relationship between Mbappe’s impressive goalscoring record and his teams’ inability to secure major trophies.
The French forward has endured two consecutive trophyless seasons since joining Real Madrid, despite his individual performances.
Meanwhile, Mbappe is expected to return to the France national team for their upcoming Nations League fixtures against Italy on November 12 and Türkiye on November 15.