Ballon d'Or 2026: 'They turned against him' - France legend Papin on why Mbappé didn't win award

Why This Matters

Key context: <img width="1200" height="720" src="https://dailypost.ng/cms-api/media/file/Jean-Pierre%20Papin.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="Jean Pierre Papin " style="display: block; margin: auto; margin-bottom: 5px;max-width: 100%;" link_thumbnail="" decoding="async" srcset="https://dailypost.ng/cms-api/media/file/Jean-Pierre%20Papin.jpg 1200w, https://dailypost.ng/dp-img/400x240/cms-api/media/file/Jean-Pierre%20Papin.jpg.jpg 400w, https://dailypost.ng/dp-img/400x240/cms-api/media/file/Jean-Pierre%20Papin.jpg.jpg 400w, https://dailypost.ng/dp-img/820x492/cms-api/media/file/Jean-Pierre%20Papin.jpg.jpg 820w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><p>France football legend, Jean-Pierre Papin has criticised Kylian Mbappé’s approach to his 2026 Ballon d’Or campaign, arguing that the Real Madrid forward’s public efforts to promote his individual achievements worked against him. Papin, who won the Ballon d’Or in 1991, made the comments after Mbappé finished second behind England captain Harry Kane in the 2026 [&#8230;]</p> <p><a href="https://dailypost.ng/2026/10/30/ballon-dor-2026-they-turned-against-him-france-legend-papin-on-why-mbappe-didnt-win-award/">Ballon d'Or 2026: 'They turned against him' - France legend Papin on why Mbappé didn't win award</a></p> This development from dailypost.ng highlights ongoing changes in the sector.