Kylian Mbappé’s Ballon d’Or campaign draws juror doubts

Kylian Mbappé’s aggressive case for the Ballon d’Or does not appear to have generated an especially warm response among the voters. Pascal Ferré, the former editor of France Football, says his contacts with jurors gave him no sense that the campaign had made a strong impression. The ballot is now closed, leaving Mbappé’s candidacy unchanged regardless of the debate around his statements.

The France and Real Madrid forward had openly promoted his chances in recent weeks, presenting his individual achievements in several public interventions. Asked which player he would vote for, he named himself, while also maintaining that nobody had performed better than him during the season. His approach gave the campaign a distinctly personal tone.

Ferré’s assessment does not show that Mbappé lost votes because of his communication. He believes the campaign had no influence on the jurors’ decisions, even if its reception was less enthusiastic than the player may have hoped. The remarks therefore offer no indication of where Mbappé will finish or whether he will win.

The wider concern is what success would mean for future editions. Ferré has warned that a Mbappé victory could encourage candidates to run similarly forceful personal campaigns, turning the award into a more confrontational contest. Even if he triumphs, it would be impossible to establish whether his performances or his public advocacy carried greater weight.