Ballon d’Or 2026: Samuel Umtiti criticises Mbappé’s candidacy

Samuel Umtiti has criticised the growing debate around the Ballon d’Or 2026, saying the conversation has become too focused on individual ambition. The former France defender and current RMC Sport consultant was reacting to a week of declarations from several leading candidates, including Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé and Lamine Yamal.

The award ceremony is scheduled for 26 October in London. Discussion intensified after the return of the Champions League, with Mbappé openly arguing that his statistics and records make him a credible candidate to win the prize for the first time. His case comes despite the absence of a major club or international title during the period being considered.

Mbappé’s comments followed a direct question about who he would choose for the award. According to Umtiti, the France forward ultimately named himself. Umtiti acknowledged that Mbappé is a confident personality and that his goals and performances have been clear, but questioned whether a player should publicly campaign for an individual honour.

“He is a person who is sure of himself,” Umtiti said. He added that Mbappé should concentrate on what happens on the pitch rather than making the case for his own candidacy. Umtiti accepted that the declaration may appeal to some people, but said he did not agree with the approach.

The former Lyon and Barcelona defender also objected to the wider tone of the 2026 race. The 30-player shortlist includes Mbappé and nine members of the Paris Saint-Germain team that won the Champions League. Dembélé, the 2025 Ballon d’Or winner, has said the prize should go to one of his PSG team-mates, while Barcelona’s Yamal has pointed to his World Cup triumph with Spain as part of his own argument.

Umtiti’s strongest criticism concerned the balance between personal statistics and collective achievements. He questioned the inclusion of Mexico forward Quinones, referring to his four goals at the World Cup despite Mexico’s elimination in the round of 16. Umtiti said he wondered whether the nomination was a joke and argued that goals alone should not settle the debate.

The 2018 world champion said the award had become especially attractive to attacking players, while the team’s success was receiving less attention. In his view, a player can win the Champions League with his team and still focus mainly on securing the individual prize. “Football is not only statistics,” he said, describing the sport as fundamentally collective and adding that the current discussion was damaging to football.

Umtiti also said he no longer watches the ceremony, a change he linked to the period dominated by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. He considered their numbers so exceptional that the absence of a major title did little to weaken their claims. The present field, he argued, does not contain one player who is clearly above all the others, making the 2026 contest more open but also more difficult to define.

The debate now combines three competing arguments: Mbappé’s goals and records, PSG’s Champions League success and the international achievements cited by Yamal. Dembélé’s position adds another layer because the reigning winner believes the award should remain within the European champions’ squad. The ceremony in London on 26 October will determine which of those achievements carries the greatest weight, but Umtiti’s intervention has challenged the candidates to place team honours ahead of personal promotion.