Mbappé found Balón de Oro snub tough, says Konaté

Konaté said Mbappé took the Balón de Oro snub hard but bounced back immediately in training, backing his teammate to win it next year.

Ibrahima Konaté, Mbappé's Real Madrid and France teammate, spoke about how the striker handled missing out on the Balón de Oro, which went to Harry Kane at the ceremony in London two weeks ago.

"He's a born competitor; of course not winning the Balón de Oro when he deserved it so much is tough," Konaté said at a France press conference at Clairefontaine ahead of Nations League matches against Italy and Turkey. "The next day he was already giving everything in training. I hope next year he's in top form to lift the trophy."

Konaté also praised Mbappé's impact at Real Madrid, calling him fundamental to the club's recent form under José Mourinho.