Umtiti mocks the dispute between Mbappe and Dembele: we never saw Messi talk about the Ballon d'Or

Former Barcelona defender, France's Samuel Umtiti, has mocked the dispute between his compatriots Kylian Mbappé, the Real Madrid star, and Ousmane Dembélé, the Paris Saint-Germain forward, over the 2026 Ballon d'Or.

Mbappé and Dembélé, who won the award last year, are considered among the leading candidates for this year's Ballon d'Or, alongside Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi, the current Inter Miami star and Barça legend.

The controversy dates back to an interview Mbappé gave last Saturday to the magazine "France Football", which has awarded the Ballon d'Or since 1956.

In it, the Real Madrid and France forward said: "Dembélé was always seen as a talented player, whereas I, on the other hand, was always considered the chosen one."

Dembélé hit back quickly, saying: "I was never seen as the chosen one, but I worked hard, and last year I was rewarded with a wonderful season with Paris Saint-Germain."

Umtiti waded in with a dig on RMC Sport: "At Barcelona, I never saw Messi talk about the Ballon d'Or in this way," noting that Leo holds the record for winning the award, with eight.

As reported by the newspaper "Mundo Deportivo", he went on: "During my time at Barcelona, Messi never made such statements about the Ballon d'Or. I find it difficult to understand, but that's Kylian, and I think this might upset some of his teammates."

The 2026 World Cup winner continued: "When I rewatched what Kylian said, he did not offend Ousmane. His words were taken out of context, because before that, he praised Ousmane a lot."

He added: "The two players have completely different personalities. Ousmane is not Kylian, and vice versa. We know that Kylian has his own way of expressing himself, and that sometimes we have to understand what he means. We have to look at things from a broader perspective."

Umtiti concluded: "In the end, I saw that he was talking about Ousmane, about his talent, and it is true that no one expected Ousmane to win the Ballon d'Or. Everyone said Kylian was the one who would win it. What he said is the truth. There is no reason for them to be angry."

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