Roten angrily criticized the Ballon d 'Or for its orientation towards criticism: Mbappe should not have been shortlisted. Dembele is the real favorite [xueting]
2025-06-04
On June 4th, Beijing time, as the top five European leagues and European competitions came to an end one after another, the winner of the Ballon d 'Or became a hot topic of discussion.
Paris Saint-Germain star Dembele is regarded as the top favorite, and Mbappe also appears on the discussion list. However, former Paris Saint-Germain player Roten expressed strong dissatisfaction with some of the remarks.
In the interview, Roten was outspoken in his criticism of the public support for Mbappe by the young French players Cherki and Kone.
He said, "I was very annoyed to hear them say that Mbappe is a favorite for the Ballon d 'Or." We don't need such an obviously biased statement at all. They said so because they don't want to offend the national team captain Mbappe.
He also pointed out the relationship between Cherki and Mbappe's family, "The stance behind this is not pure; it's just about safeguarding personal interests."
Roten emphasized that the Ballon d 'Or selection should not be based solely on the number of goals scored or the honor of the Golden Boot. "Mbappe's statistics this season are indeed impressive, but they are not enough to support him in winning the Ballon d 'Or." Dembele is the one who truly plays a decisive role in the Champions League and crucial matches.
He further called on players to remain neutral when it comes to such topics. "If you don't want to offend the captain, there's no need to respond to such questions." The controversy over such individual awards should have been left to the public and the media for discussion, rather than involving the players.