France legend Jean-Pierre Papin has called out Kylian Mbappé’s Ballon d’Or campaign, describing the Real Madrid forward’s public lobbying as “terrible for him” and saying it reminded him of Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 1991 Ballon d’Or winner spoke two days after Kylian Mbappé finished second to Harry Kane in the 2026 vote in London on Monday (October 26). Kane was the only man ahead of him, and second place is the best finish of Mbappé’s career at 27.
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Speaking on RMC’s Rothen s’enflamme on Wednesday, Papin said in comments translated by Goal:
“Mbappé’s communication was terrible for him, as it somewhat reflected the nature of his personality. And that is unfortunate when you have all this talent and play for a club like Real Madrid. He reminds me a little of Cristiano Ronaldo, as others were supposed to put themselves at his service.”
He then added:
“In terms of effectiveness, he is not far from what Cristiano Ronaldo used to offer, but his media campaign turned against him to some extent.”
Kylian Mbappé had spent the weeks before the vote making his own case, telling France Football: “There is no one better than me last season.” Real Madrid finished the 2025-26 season empty-handed, so the individual numbers had to carry the argument for the Ballon d’Or.
Papin was equally clear about the future:
“I am convinced he will win the Ballon d’Or, as he has the talent required for it,” he said. “This year was not his last chance, it was indeed a great opportunity, but he still has a road he needs to travel.”
Mbappé still scored 42 goals in 44 games last season, and he has started the new campaign with 14 in 13, including a Clasico double at Barcelona that took him to 100 goals for the club.
Kylian Mbappé and Cristiano Ronaldo: matching numbers in their first two seasons
Papin’s read on the similarities between the 2 players holds up in the raw numbers. Cristiano Ronaldo scored 33 goals in 35 games in his first season in Madrid, then 53 in 54 in 2010-11 on the way to 40 La Liga goals, the Pichichi and the European Golden Shoe. That is 86 goals in 89 matches across two campaigns.
Kylian Mbappé has matched the Portuguese superstar’s goal total in his first two seasons with Real Madrid. He scored 44 in 59 games in 2024-25, breaking Zamorano’s club record for a debut season, and added 42 in 44 last term. That is also 86 goals in 103 appearances.
Ronaldo’s second year was the explosion; it helped him win his first trophy in Spain, the Copa del Rey. Mbappé’s goals have been spread more evenly, 44 then 42, with two Pichichis and a Champions League top-scorer award in 2025-26, when Madrid went out in the quarterfinals.
Edited by Vignesh Raja
