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France Legend Slams Mbappe Over Ballon d’Or Clamour

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Former France international Christophe Dugarry has criticised Kylian Mbappé, labelling the Real Madrid forward’s public pursuit of the 2026 Ballon d’Or as “childish and pathetic.”

 

The 1998 World Cup winner addressed the 27-year-old’s media campaign, condemning his focus on personal accolades over collective achievements.
Dugarry questioned the optics of a national team captain
“To publicly ask for an individual award like that, I find it CHILDISH and PATHETIC,” Dugarry said in a report .

“There’s nothing great about asking for it, especially as captain of your national team.

“Football is becoming more and more individualistic, and far too often it makes me sick. Instead of talking about yourself and individual awards, you should be talking about the team, about sharing success and about the trophies you didn’t win but wanted to win together.”

The criticism arrives after Mbappé declared he deserves to win the award based on his statistical output.

The forward claimed his second successive Pichichi Trophy during the 2025/26 campaign, recording 25 goals in 31 LALIGA appearances. He also finished as the UEFA Champions League top scorer with 15 goals, accumulating 42 total goals across 44 appearances for Real Madrid.

However, Real Madrid finished the club season without a single piece of major silverware under the management of Xabi Alonso and Álvaro Arbeloa.

At the international level, Mbappé registered 10 goals in seven appearances during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, securing his second consecutive Golden Boot. France finished the tournament in fourth place following a 6-4 defeat to England in the third-place playoff.

Despite the lack of team trophies, Mbappé argued that the Ballon d’Or should prioritise individual excellence. His summer record established him as the all-time leading goalscorer in World Cup history with 22 total tournament goals, surpassing Lionel Messi.

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PSG v Lyon Moved As Paris Prepares For More Protests

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Paris St-Germain’s Ligue 1 match against Lyon has been pushed back 24 hours to Monday as the French capital prepares for another weekend of protests.

 

The fixture at the Parc des Princes in Paris had been scheduled to kick off at 19:45 GMT on Sunday but will instead take place at 20:30 on Monday.

The Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) announced the postponement in a statement on Friday after French police prohibited the fixture from taking place on its original date.

French authorities are preparing a major security operation for demonstrations planned for Saturday.

Around 550,000 people took part in demonstrations last Saturday to protest rising fuel prices, education standards and the cost of living, which have escalated after weeks of student protests.

Marches took place in several major French cities, including Paris, backed by unions and student groups, and were marred by some incidents of violence, looting and destruction.

The security challenge is further complicated by Sunday’s NFL match between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints at the Stade de France, an event expected to require a significant police deployment.

The game will be played in Saint-Denis, about 10km from Place de la Bastille, where the protests are expected to begin.

The disruptions have already affected France’s domestic football schedule with Toulouse’s Ligue 1 home game against Troyes moved from Saturday to Sunday at the request of authorities.

Reigning French and European champions PSG are second in the standings after seven matches, while Lyon lead the table on 14 points, ahead of the holders on goal difference.

The match will also now be played on the same day as the Ballon d’Or ceremony in London.

Injured PSG pair Ousmane Dembele, the 2025 winner, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia are among the contenders for the award.

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Portugal National Team Congratulates Ronaldo On Extending Goal Tally

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In Round 11 of the Saudi League, Al-Nassr faced Al-Fayha away from home. In the second half, Félix set up Ronaldo for a free kick, which Ronaldo converted for his 982nd career goal. Late in the match, Ronaldo started an attack that Ângelo Borges finished to seal a 3-1 victory for Al-Nassr.

The Portuguese national team posted a congratulatory message on social media after the match: “Cristiano Ronaldo adds another goal to his tally!”

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El Clásico: Jurgen Klopp Tips Barca To Win On Sunday

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Germany manager Jürgen Klopp has stated he favors Barcelona to win Sunday’s El Clásico against Real Madrid.

 

In his view, Hansi Flick’s Barcelona is clearly the stronger team at this stage. However, Klopp also admitted he has always had a personal preference for Barcelona.

In an interview with German broadcaster DAZN, Klopp confirmed he would not miss the highly anticipated Spanish football clash: “Of course, I will watch El Clásico between Barcelona and Real Madrid. I have watched this match at every stage of my life.”

Klopp also discussed how his views on the rivalry have evolved and why he supports compatriot Hansi Flick’s Barcelona.

Klopp said: “In the past, I supported Barcelona more because I hated how Pepe and other defenders used to just sweep everything away in the backline. That was the only reason I always supported Barcelona. Nowadays, I look at the game from a neutral perspective. I support the stronger team. And as things stand, that team is likely to be Barcelona.”

Barcelona has had a strong start to the season and will host their old rivals at Camp Nou, currently leading Real Madrid by six points. However, Barcelona suffered their first defeat of the season this week against Paris Saint-Germain.

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