Bixente Lizarazu has hit out at Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe for the way he carried himself around ahead of the 2026 Ballon d’Or gala. The former France defender believes Mbappe showed a lack of humility as the Real Madrid star finished second behind winner Harry Kane.
On TF1’s Téléfoot on Sunday, the 1998 World Cup winner took aim at Mbappe with his comments. Lizarazu accused Mbappe of being ‘hyper-individualistic’ in the build-up to the Ballon d’Or gala. He stated:
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“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.”
The sequence Lizarazu meant was the run of interviews Mbappe gave before the voting closed in London on October 26. The Real Madrid star told France Football he would vote for himself, said he felt he could win and was not stepping back from that.
Mbappe also replied with “me, always” when asked who the best player in the world was. However, Kane eventually won the Ballon d’Or after finishing with 1,055 points, 28 clear of Mbappe, with Lamine Yamal finishing third on 881.
Lizarazu did not blame the self-campaigning as the reason for Mbappe losing the award. Asked whether it had counted against Mbappe, Lizarazu said he did not think so, since 100 journalists from 100 countries decide the award.
But his concern is regarding how Mbappe scores a lot of goals but his teams don’t win big. The Frenchman has endured two trophyless seasons at Real Madrid.
Lizarazu added:
“He scores a lot of goals, but you have to make your team win.”
Mbappe is expected back in the France squad for Nations League games away to Italy on 12 November and at home to Türkiye on 15 November.
Kylian Mbappe in red-hot form for Real Madrid despite missing out on Ballon d’Or
Mbappe has 12 La Liga goals in 11 appearances this season. He scored twice in the 2-1 El Clasico win at Camp Nou on 25 October, with the second goal being an 87th-minute finish after a move involving Jude Bellingham, Arda Güler and Eduardo Camavinga. That was his 100th goal for Real Madrid, and he also converted a penalty against Racing Santander in the last game.
Mbappe has yet to win La Liga or Champions League since completing his dream transfer to the Santiago Bernabeu. He will be hoping to end that drought this season.
Edited by Nived Zenith
