Kylian Mbappe insists there are "no tensions" between himself and his France team-mate Ousmane Dembele, following comments he made about the latter's Ballon d'Or win.

Dembele was crowned the best player in the world for 2024-25 after helping Paris Saint-Germain win the first of their back-to-back Champions League titles. 

He was the sixth different French player to win the award, giving France the highest number of unique winners from any single country, and the first since Zinedine Zidane in 1998.

Mbappe has never won the prize during his glittering career, with a third-place finish in 2023 being the highest he has ever placed in the voting.

And when asked if he ever thought Dembele would win the Ballon d'Or before him in an interview last week, Mbappe said: "He has always been seen as a talented player. I, on the other hand, have always been seen as the chosen one.

"I was at the top right away, from a very young age. He had a different journey, with injuries, but he has caught up really well."

Some in the French media suggested those comments may not have gone down too well with Dembele, as the PSG forward reacted by saying: "I was never the chosen one, but I worked hard and last year, I was rewarded with a fantastic year with PSG."

But, with both players linked up with Les Bleus for their first camp under Zidane, with Turkiye their opponents in Friday's Nations League opener, Mbappe insists that is not the case.

"I've already spoken about it with him and no, there are no tensions," Mbappe told L'Equipe. 

"He's a friend. I don't think there's really a problem with that. I'm really very calm. 

"In the period of the Nations League and the French camps, you always have to find a debate, and I think this is one you have found."

Mbappe is considered one of the leading contenders to win this year's prize, despite failing to land any silverware at club or international level in 2025-26.

He enjoyed a historic World Cup campaign, even as France finished fourth, breaking the record for most goal involvements at a single edition (14, 10 goals, four assists) and becoming the competition's all-time leading scorer with 22 goals.

But Mbappe's tally of 50 goals for Real Madrid in all competitions last season (excluding the Club World Cup) was dwarfed by Harry Kane's 65 for Bayern Munich, with the England captain widely viewed as the frontrunner for the prize.