Ousmane Dembélé has publicly drawn a line under the social media rumours of a rift with Kylian Mbappé ahead of the Ballon d'Or ceremony in London on 26 October. The 29-year-old forward made clear he has no intention of losing sleep over the online bickering. Earlier, Mbappé had said in an interview that he had always been seen as "the chosen one" and that Dembélé, his France team-mate and former Paris Saint-Germain colleague, had done superbly to catch up with him. "I don't comment on little squabbles on social media," Dembélé told reporters, keeping his answer short. "At 29 years old, I'm not really thinking about that."
There is no tension between the pair, he insists. With Mbappé sidelined by a knee injury, it is Dembélé who will lead France out against Italy wearing the captain's armband. Meanwhile, Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has weighed in on the Ballon d'Or debate. "For me, it's Mbappé," he declared. On the numbers, France's regular captain certainly makes a compelling case: Mbappé has already scored 67 goals for his country and, with 22, stands alone as the World Cup's all-time leading scorer.
