Online critics targeted Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele for allegedly showing disrespect to Harry Kane at the Ballon d'Or event. The French athletes attended the star-studded gathering hosted at the Palladium Theatre in London.

Heading into the celebration, twenty-seven-year-old Mbappe held status as a top contender for the primary trophy, whereas Dembele claimed victory the previous year. Thirty-three-year-old Kane surpassed both contenders, defeating runner-up Mbappe by a margin of 41 points while Dembele finished in seventh place.

Video footage surfaced showing Kane approaching Mbappe and Dembele to offer greetings following his triumph. While the Bayern Munich player moved past, Mbappe looked in the opposite direction and Dembele spoke on a mobile phone. Despite the telephone conversation, Dembele briefly lowered the device to shake hands with Kane. The former Tottenham player then drew Mbappe's attention, prompting the Real Madrid forward to smile warmly, shake hands, and embrace him. After exchanging pleasantries, Kane smiled and appeared unbothered by the minor incident.

Certain internet users chose to condemn the French pair over the encounter. One person posted on X, questioning the manners of the players for remaining seated during the greeting. Another user complained about the lack of respect shown. A third commenter expressed joy for Kane while criticizing the others for failing to stand up to offer congratulations.

Reactions from Mbappe and Lamine Yamal when Ronaldo revealed Kane as the champion also sparked severe backlash. While Bayern Munich teammate Michael Olise smiled for Kane, Yamal appeared visibly disappointed and Mbappe offered a wry smile while clapping. A spectator branded Mbappe and Yamal as disrespectful losers for failing to stand properly, while another called the behavior disrespectful.

Mbappe scored two goals on Sunday as Real Madrid secured a 2-1 victory against Barcelona in El Clasico. Dembele is currently recovering from a thigh injury and attended the ceremony even though Paris Saint-Germain played Lyon at Parc des Princes. Yamal also played in Sunday's Clasico match but failed to stop his team from losing.

Full Men's Ballon d'Or rankings

Here is the top 30 breakdown for the Men's Ballon d'Or prize:

1st. Harry Kane
2nd. Kylian Mbappe
3rd. Lamine Yamal
4th. Rodri
5th. Lionel Messi
6th. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
7th. Ousmane Dembele
8th. Erling Haaland
9th. Michael Olise
10th. Fabian Ruiz
11th: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid and England)
12th: Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona and Spain)
13th: Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain and Morocco)
14th: Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain and Portugal)
15th: Declan Rice (Arsenal and England)
16th: Ferran Torres (Barcelona/Paris Saint-Germain and Spain)
17th: Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid and Brazil)
18th: Marc Cucurella (Chelsea/Real Madrid and Spain)
19th: Joao Neves (Paris Saint-Germain and Portugal)
20th: Willian Pacho (Paris Saint-Germain and Ecuador)
21st: Gabriel Magalhaes (Arsenal and Brazil)
22nd: Lautaro Martínez (Inter Milan and Argentina)
23rd: Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain and Portugal)
24th: Luis Diaz (Bayern Munich and Colombia)
25th: Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil)
26th: Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich and France)
27th: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United and Portugal)
28th: Julian Quinones (Al Qadsiah and Mexico)
29th: Sadio Mane (Al Nassr and Senegal)
29th: William Saliba (Arsenal and France)