Riolo: Mbappé’s Ballon d'Or push 'looks like a stolen car'

RMC Sport commentator Daniel Riolo sharply criticised Kylian Mbappé’s recent media push to win the Ballon d'Or, calling the striker’s campaign “uncomfortable” and saying the messaging had become excessive.

Mbappé, who plays for Real Madrid and is captain of France, recently gave several interviews in which he argued he deserves the Ballon d'Or and pointed to his goal numbers from last season — comments Riolo singled out after an appearance on RFI.

Riolo told listeners on the After Foot programme that the 25-year-old’s media strategy felt overblown and off-putting. "He played a catastrophic match against Atlético. The Ballon d'Or is his current obsession. What he says in that interview is so demagogic. He comes with decorations and confetti. You see him from 1,000 kilometres away. He looks like a stolen car," Riolo said.

According to Riolo, the more Mbappé presses his case in public, the more it backfires. "It becomes embarrassing. There is huge exaggeration when it comes to him, about what he brings to the team or not. I don't understand anything in this campaign. I understand the goal, but I never thought the goal justified the means. In football, people often say only the result matters," he added.

Riolo went on to explain why the captain’s approach left him with reservations: "I'm not saying the Ballon d'Or would be any less worthy, but the way he builds on that success, if it happens, leaves a bitter taste in my mouth," he concluded.

Riolo's critique reflects a wider debate in French media about the tone of Mbappé’s public appeals for individual honours following a busy season for both club and country.

Photo: press material from the event