"There's no player better than me!" Mbappé's former teammate, enraged by his 'Ballon d'Or complex', retorts: "Are you Messi or Ronaldo? Shut up."

*This content was translated by AI.

Kylian Mbappé (28, Real Madrid) recently expressed strong confidence in winning the Ballon d'Or, claiming he was the world's best player last season. However, his former France national team teammate Samuel Umtiti (33) does not view this positively.

French outlet 'L'Équipe' reported on the 12th (Korea time) that "Mbappé repeatedly emphasized that he deserves to receive the upcoming October Ballon d'Or."

According to media reports, Mbappé stated, "There was not a single player better than me last season." He further defined the Ballon d'Or as an award for "exceptional players," asserting, "Except for Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, no one is superior to me."

Mbappé also made provocative remarks targeting recent Ballon d'Or winners, saying, "Even if they received the award, I would not trade places with them."

However, Mbappé's bold self-praise triggered strong backlash from his former teammate. Football specialist 'Goal.com' reported on the 11th that "Umtiti appeared on France's RMC program 'After Foot' and directly refuted Mbappé's comments."

During the broadcast, Umtiti remarked, "It is true that Mbappé scored many goals, but it is not his place to discuss who should win the award. Players should not decide for themselves that they are winners; they must focus solely on the field."

Furthermore, Umtiti criticized the Ballon d'Or ceremony itself by pointing out the reality that players are overly fixated on individual awards rather than team championships. He raised his voice, stating, "The Ballon d'Or has lost its value and is ruining football, a perfect team sport."

Umtiti also criticized the recent evaluation method that relies solely on statistics, revealing, "I have lost interest in the Ballon d'Or since the era of Messi and Ronaldo." He explained that while the two players previously proved themselves with overwhelming skill, there is now no single great player who dominates all others.

As Mbappé's provocative claim to be certain of his first-ever Ballon d'Or clashes with his former teammate's sharp criticism accusing him of ruining football, football fans are turning their attention to the upcoming October Ballon d'Or ceremony.

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*This content was translated by AI.