Ballon d’Or: Jean-Pierre Papin reframes Kylian Mbappé and denounces his “me, me and me”

Less than two weeks before the revelation of the next Ballon d'Or, Jean-Pierre Papin has decided not to mince his words with regard to the French striker. In an interview with France Télévisions, the former OM striker strongly criticized the communication of the current captain of the Blues around this prestigious award, while showing his preference for the Englishman Harry Kane.

“Me, me and me”

Crowned Ballon d'Or in 1991 after an exceptional season under the colors of Olympique de Marseille, Jean-Pierre Papin knows very well the value of this individual trophy. If he readily recognizes Mbappé's qualities on the pitch, he finds that his media attitude poses a problem. “Kylian, I really like it. Kylian, the same, he’s a man of records. On the other hand, at one point, it's me, me, me and me, whatever. The Ballon d’Or, it’s the others who decide!”, he said in a videoconference with France Télévisions.

“Too much” for the Ballon d’Or 91

The former AC Milan striker criticizes the Madrilenian for putting too much emphasis on his candidacy. “In his communication, at one point, it was: there is no one other than me who deserves the Ballon d’Or. It was too much for me. Too much,” continued Papin.

“Today, when you look at how the Ballon d’Or is awarded, there are a whole bunch of criteria. And this criterion, in relation to Kylian, is wrong. The rest is fine, but this one is not,” he concluded.