Kylian Mbappe now stands alone at the top of the World Cup scoring charts. His 22 goals at the tournament, a haul that eclipsed Lionel Messi's record, have strengthened his claim to the Ballon d'Or, football's most prestigious individual award. Yet the 27-year-old's path to the prize has been clouded by fresh reports of tension inside the France camp. According to the media, the Real Madrid forward angered Paris Saint-Germain star Ousmane Dembele with comments in which he cast himself as a chosen one while describing his international teammate as a player who had only come to the fore after battling through injuries. Mbappe dismissed the claims out of hand. He said he had already spoken to Dembele and insisted there was no friction between them, describing the winger as a friend who was entirely relaxed about the episode and stressing that there had never been a genuine problem in the first place.
Mbappe missed training at Clairefontaine, France's national training centre, where Zinedine Zidane's squad has gathered, after coming down with flu. Neither the minor illness nor the swirl of media speculation appears to have dented his standing, however. Ahead of the ceremony in London on 26 October, the French forward remains the clear favourite to lift the Ballon d'Or.
