Ousmane Dembélé has issued a measured response to the latest comment from his fellow countryman, Kylian Mbappé,, about his chances of winning another Ballon d’Or.

The Real Madrid star’s comments seem not to have sat well with Dembélé and his camp, despite the long-standing friendship between the two former Paris Saint-Germain teammates.

Mbappé,, now 27,, said he is the chosen one on Sunday night in an interview with Ligue 1 Plus,, while adding that the former Barcelona winger is no doubt a talented player.

The duo has been nominated for this year’s Ballon d’Or, which will be awarded in London next month.

Dembélé currently holds the title, while Mbappe was always expected to win the award.

However, he hasn’t done so. When asked about his compatriot in an interview with France Football, the 2018 World Cup winner said: “he has always been seen as a talented player; I have always been seen as the chosen one.”

Dembélé then responded in an interview with Ligue 1 Plus that he has always worked hard to get better each time.

“In my whole career, I haven’t said a word. I have worked a lot. As I said, I was never the chosen one, but I worked and, last year, I was rewarded for a fantastic year with PSG, and this year, we will see, without pressure, calm,”  the PSG forward said.

 Mbappé had reportedly made similar comments before, but Dembélé, who never responded to any of them, did this time around.

It is now left for the two players to talk about it, probably during their camping for the international break. Having traded remarks in the media, the pair may have to clear the air with the international break coming up.

Let’s hope this is done so that the mood in the camp won’t be affected during the break.