The PSG Superstar Kylian Mbape was in attendance at the ceremony in Paris, where he is currently displaying his football wizardry despite wanting to leave the French capital for a new challenge.
He was in all happy earlier on when he signed a France national team jersey for Formula One driver Esteban Ocon, who presented the Ballon d’Or trophies alongside Fernando Alonso.
But when he learned his position in this year’s Ballon d’Or, Mbappe’s face turned very sour and the cameras panned to him as he sat next to Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.
In 2021 on the whole, Mbappe scored 45 times and assisted 20 but found himself at the lower end of the top ten and behind the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Mo Salah, Cristiano Ronaldo, N’Golo Kante, Karim Benzema and Jorginho.
The 22-year-old’s highest Ballon d’Or finish came in 2018 when he finished fourth after playing an integral role in France’s World Cup win.
He was seventh in 2017 and sixth in 2019, while last year’s prize was scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although his frustrations were evident, the former Monaco man did get up on stage to present Alexia Putellas with her Ballon d’Or trophy following a superb year for Barcelona Femeni.