Mbappé finished second behind Harry Kane in the voting, despite an outstanding individual season. Papin, who won the Ballon d’Or in 1991, said the volume and tone of the forward’s media appearances had worked against him.
“Mbappé’s communication strategy has hurt him a lot. It reflects, in a way, what he is like. It is a shame, considering his qualities and the club he plays for,” Papin said on RMC Sport’s Rothen s’enflamme.
The former Marseille, AC Milan and Bayern Munich striker also compared Mbappé’s approach to that of Cristiano Ronaldo, suggesting the Frenchman’s team-mates had sometimes been expected to shape their game around him.
“Mbappé reminds me a little of Cristiano Ronaldo: the others had to put themselves at his service,” Papin said.
“In terms of effectiveness, he is not far from what Cristiano Ronaldo achieved. But his communication strategy has backfired. I am convinced he will win the Ballon d’Or; he has the qualities needed to do so. It was not a case of ‘now or never’. It was a good opportunity, yes, but he still has a way to go.”
Mbappé had publicly made his case for the award, including saying that “there was nobody better than me this season”. His campaign ultimately failed to persuade voters, who selected Kane ahead of him.
The disappointment has been compounded by a separate controversy in China. Comments Mbappé made during an appearance on The Bridge Show, when discussing a meme depicting him as Chinese leader Mao Zedong, prompted a backlash after he said he shared the image with friends while gaming.
The reaction has spread beyond criticism on social media and into commercial partnerships. Chinese companies have ended their agreements with the forward, while gaming publishers have moved to remove his image and related content from versions of football titles distributed in the country.
Tencent announced changes to EA Sports FC Online and FC Football World, with in-game adjustments to follow through updates. NetEase, which operates the Chinese versions of Konami’s eFootball titles, said it would stop promoting Mbappé and cease producing related player characters and cards. Other Chinese developers have also announced changes to their games.
The measures concern the Chinese editions and local promotional material; they should not be confused with a worldwide removal from the global versions of the games.
Mbappé has apologised for the remarks, but the episode has added another difficult chapter to a season in which his pursuit of individual recognition has attracted as much attention as his performances.