Ousmane Dembélé insists there is “no problem” with Kylian Mbappé. A few days earlier, the France captain had also claimed there was “no tension” between them. Yet according to L’Équipe, the relationship between the two France stars has indeed cooled. Their various comments surrounding the Ballon d’Or appear to have left their mark.
Officially, everything is fine. Speaking to the media on Thursday ahead of France’s clash with Italy, Dembélé played down the controversy. “I’m not going to comment on all those stories. These little wars on social media… At 29, I really don’t have time for that,” the PSG forward said, before adding: “We’ve spoken, we sit next to each other at the table, there’s no problem.” Mbappé had delivered a similar message a few days earlier: “I’ve already spoken to him about it, there’s no tension, he’s a friend.”
A message from Mbappé reportedly went unanswered
However, according to L’Équipe, things behind the scenes are considerably less peaceful, with the newspaper describing a genuine “cold war” between the pair. The tension reportedly stems from their comments about the Ballon d’Or. Mbappé had explained that he had always been regarded as “the chosen one,” while Dembélé had followed a different path. The PSG star later responded: “I was never the chosen one, but I worked hard.” Contrary to what Mbappé’s initial comments suggested, the two players had reportedly not truly settled the issue before meeting again at Clairefontaine. A message was allegedly sent but went unanswered, according to L’Équipe.
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The misunderstanding may have gone both ways. L’Équipe reports that Mbappé discovered at Clairefontaine that his former PSG teammate was more upset with him than he had expected. The France captain was reportedly surprised by Dembélé’s reaction, as the winger is not usually someone who holds on to disagreements for long. Some people close to the players reportedly believe the episode could leave a lasting mark on their relationship.
Publicly, however, both players have adopted the same approach: refusing to fuel the story any further. There is no question of an open clash or an officially acknowledged breakdown in their relationship. But behind the smiles and reassuring statements, the relationship between Mbappé and Dembélé is reportedly no longer quite what it once was.
