Mbappé Addresses ‘Chosen One’ Rivalry with Dembélé

What started as a sharp line in a magazine interview has turned into a mini-saga around France’s two attacking stars. Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé, suddenly cast as rivals in the race for the Ballon d’Or, have spent the last few days at the centre of speculation about a rift. Now Mbappé has stepped in to shut it down.

The spark came on 11 September, in an interview with France Football. Asked about his chances of lifting the Ballon d’Or in London on 26 October, the Real Madrid forward drew a comparison between his own rise and Dembélé’s more winding journey.

“He has always been considered a talented player. I have always been seen as the chosen one. I was at the top from the start. He had a different path, injuries, but he recovered well,” Mbappé said, reflecting on the contrasting careers of the former PSG teammates.

The phrase “the chosen one” stuck. It followed him.

Two days later, Dembélé’s answer arrived. Speaking on Ligue 1+, the latest Ballon d’Or winner didn’t name Mbappé, but he went straight for the same wording, turning it on its head.

“Throughout my entire career, I haven't said a single word, I have worked very hard. As I said, I have never been the chosen one, but I have worked hard, and last year I was rewarded with a fantastic season at PSG. And this year, we'll see, no pressure, calm.”

That was enough to set the storyline. France’s reunion camp only cranked up the volume. With both men back together on international duty, every gesture, every glance, every training-ground interaction was suddenly under the microscope.

Mbappé has decided he has seen enough.

Speaking to L’Équipe at an event for his new sponsor, France’s number 10 insisted there is no feud, no split in the dressing room, no simmering resentment behind the cameras. He also revealed that the two had already addressed the issue privately.

“I’ve already talked it over with him and no, there are no tensions. He is a friend. I really think there is no problem at all in that regard, I’m very calm,” Mbappé said, cutting through the noise.

In his view, the whole thing has swelled because of the environment around the national team, where every international window seems to demand a fresh talking point.

“During the Nations League period and with the French national team, you always have to look for a topic of debate, and I think this one is very well chosen,” he concluded, with a hint of irony.

The Ballon d’Or race will roll on, the cameras will keep tracking every smile and handshake between Mbappé and Dembélé, and the debate around who deserves the crown will only intensify. But for now, at least in the France camp, the “chosen one” storyline has been firmly pushed back into the shadows.