Mbappé’s Ballon d’Or joke turns ironic after Kane’s narrow win
Kylian Mbappé finished second to Harry Kane in the 2026 Ballon d'Or, making a pre-ceremony comedy gag featuring a miniature trophy painfully ironic. The Real Madrid star narrowly missed winning the award in one of the closest races in its history. The joke aired on Netflix's Djadel Show, filmed in May, where French comedian Ilyes Djadel presented Mbappé with a fake, undersized trophy. At the time, it poked fun at the forward's ambition to win the prize, but after Monday's ceremony, the clip gained new significance as Mbappé came remarkably close to victory. France Football editor Vincent Garcia said the points difference between Kane and Mbappé was exceptionally small, with Mbappé leading voting for much of the process. Kane's win ended a 25-year drought for Englishmen, while Mbappé scored 42 goals for Real Madrid and won the World Cup Golden Boot.