WHAT HAPPENED?
The France captain left PSG for Real Madrid last summer and won the European Golden Shoe in his first La Liga campaign, but his side ended the season without any silverware. Meanwhile, Dembele and Yamal have flourished at PSG and Barcelona, respectively, with pundit Jerome Rothen claiming that the pair are in a different league to Mbappe and lead the race for the Ballon d’Or.
WHAT ROTHEN SAID
Ex-PSG midfielder Rothen told RMC Sport: “Mbappe again doesn’t deserve to be in the discussion for the Ballon d’Or. Today, he is not in the same league as Lamine Yamal or Ousmane Dembele. We all know perfectly well that Mbappe doesn’t deserve to be there.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Dembele starred as PSG won the Champions League, scoring eight goals in the competition and 30 across the whole campaign. Yamal has continued to impress for Barcelona, too, with the 17-year-old scoring 18 goals and assisting 25 in 55 appearances.
WHAT NEXT FOR MBAPPE?
Mbappe will hope to give his Ballon d’Or chances a boost at the Club World Cup this month, where Real Madrid will initially take on Al-Hilal, Pachuca and RB Salzburg in the group stages.