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Mbappé vs Dembélé: France’s Ballon d’Or Battle Heats Up
September 15, 2026
The French national team camp is tense as the race for the 2026 Ballon d’Or intensifies into a battle between two of France’s biggest stars — Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé.
Both players have been nominated for the 30-man shortlist announced by France Football, with the winner set to be crowned in London on October 26.
Dembélé, who won his first Ballon d’Or in September 2025 after helping Paris Saint-Germain secure a treble with 33 goals and 15 assists, followed that up by playing a key role in PSG’s second consecutive Champions League triumph this season, contributing 35 goals and 16 assists.
The PSG star has made it clear that he wants to retain the prestigious award.
“It is going to stay in the hands of a PSG player,” Dembélé told L’Equipe this week. “I’m a competitor, so it’s my goal to win it again.”
Mbappé, however, has a strong case of his own. Despite failing to win a major team trophy with Real Madrid, he finished as La Liga’s top scorer with 25 goals and was the leading scorer at the World Cup with 10 goals.
He also made history by overtaking Lionel Messi as the all-time leading scorer at the World Cup, taking his tally to 22 goals.
The debate has attracted support from other football stars, with Lamine Yamal declaring: “As far as I’m concerned, Mbappé and I are the two best in the world.”
Mbappé’s camp also added to the discussion last week, insisting that “no player was better than him last season.”
The rivalry goes beyond club football. While Dembélé enjoys considerable freedom in PSG’s attack, his role with France has often seen him operate in the shadow of Mbappé.
After a decade with Les Bleus, Dembélé has scored seven goals in 60 appearances and has yet to score in 19 major tournament matches, while Mbappé has established himself as France’s all-time leading scorer with 66 goals.
Dembélé further fuelled the Ballon d’Or debate when he named his personal top three contenders as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Harry Kane and Mbappé — leaving himself out of the list and also overlooking Lamine Yamal.
With Kane having scored 73 goals for Bayern Munich and England, while Yamal has enjoyed a remarkable season featuring La Liga and World Cup success, the vote could be closely contested.
But within the French camp, the rivalry is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore: Mbappé, the captain and France’s record scorer, against Dembélé, the reigning Ballon d’Or holder.