France manager Didier Deschamps has been cautious in expressing his true sentiments about Kylian Mbappe’s chances of winning the 2023 Ballon d’Or, according to Christophe Dugarry, a fellow French World Cup winner.
Deschamps has stated his belief that the Paris Saint-Germain striker is deserving of the award, even though Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland are considered the frontrunners after their exceptional 2022–23 seasons.
However, Dugarry has suggested that Deschamps might hold reservations about Mbappe’s prospects but refrain from sharing his true thoughts to avoid “offending” his star player.
“It makes me laugh. You feel like it’s a ball of hypocrites. Journalists ask the question and you don’t know if they really mean it,” he told RMC Sport. “We ask Deschamps the question but I’m sure he doesn’t give a damn. He (Mbappé) is not scoring at the moment; he is not playing very well, but (Deschamps) is afraid of offending him so he is obliged to make a response.
“Don’t make a connection with me and don’t ‘fry’ me with Deschamps. I’m talking about all those who give their opinion, friends of friends, and those who have an interest. There’s no real honesty in any of this. The Ballon d’Or, we don’t care; it doesn’t interest anyone.”
Dugarry also shared his view that both Haaland and Messi would be rightful contenders for the Ballon d’Or ahead of Mbappe. Messi played a pivotal role in Argentina’s victory in the 2022 World Cup, and Haaland achieved a treble in his debut season at Manchester City.
In contrast, Mbappe’s accomplishments were limited to securing the Ligue 1 title with PSG, as the team once again fell short in the Champions League.
“Today, to put my foot down, I would not give it to Mbappe, as strong as he is,” he added. “I would give it to someone who has won titles; it would be either Messi or Haaland.”
The striker is due to return to action on Friday when France takes on the Netherlands in Euro 2024 qualifying.