Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé has congratulated Harry Kane after finishing second behind the Bayern Munich striker in the 2026 Ballon d’Or voting.
Mbappé secured his highest-ever finish in the award, while Barcelona and Spain forward Lamine Yamal came third at the ceremony.
Speaking to Athlon Sports after the announcement, the France captain praised Kane’s achievement.
“He deserves it; he’s a great player. People came to see great players, and he’s one of them,” Mbappé said.
Mbappé attended the ceremony after scoring twice in Real Madrid’s 2-1 El Clásico win over Barcelona at Camp Nou.
He enjoyed an impressive individual campaign, finishing as La Liga’s leading scorer with 25 goals and topping the Champions League scoring chart with 15 goals.
He also scored 10 goals at the 2026 World Cup, taking his career tally in the competition to 22 and making him its all-time leading scorer.
However, his individual achievements could not prevent Real Madrid from ending the season without a major trophy. France also failed to win the World Cup.
Meanwhile, several Chinese brands have dropped Mbappé following a backlash on Chinese social media over reported comments about a meme depicting him as former Chinese leader Mao Zedong.
The controversy reportedly followed Mbappé’s appearance on The Bridge, a French talk show hosted by his Real Madrid teammate Aurélien Tchouaméni, where he discussed his favourite internet memes.
In clips circulating online, Mbappé reportedly described a meme featuring his face superimposed on an image resembling Mao as depicting a Chinese dictator. He also said he regularly shared the meme with friends.
However, the original interview is unavailable on the show’s YouTube channel, and it remains unclear when the episode first aired. Mbappé did not explicitly name Mao in the unverified clips circulating online.
The remarks sparked criticism in China, where Mao remains a politically sensitive figure despite the widespread suffering and deaths associated with his rule.
Chinese football forum Dongqiudi drew attention to the comments on Monday night, describing them as inappropriate and saying they had hurt the feelings of Chinese people.
Screenshots of the clips and the meme subsequently spread across Chinese social media, with some users calling for a boycott of Mbappé and Real Madrid.
Dongqiudi also said it could not translate parts of the footballer’s comments because they were offensive to China and its people.
The controversy centres on an internet joke linked to Mbappé’s nickname, ‘the dictator’, which refers to his considerable influence in football. The nickname has inspired memes depicting the French forward alongside political figures.
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