Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé and Lamine Yamal made a very persuasive case that sporty pieces can look real classy too

Kylian Mbappé knows how to take a loss. Even a big one. Last night, he ended up second to Harry Kane in the Ballon d’Or, in what France Football editor Vincent Garcia said was one of the ‘tightest contests in the award’s history.’ But hey – he’s still got ages to clinch the biggest individual trophy in football, and in the meantime, life is still pretty good for the Real Madrid forward, both on the pitch and in the fits he rocks for big occasions like these.

Watch-wise, the guy is very big on his Hublots; as an ambassador for the brand, he’s surely got his pick, and he was the face for a Champions League collab watch Hublot put out last year. So, no surprise who he was wearing last night – but we’ve got to give him credit for the particular model in question, the Classic Fusion Tributo Yellow Gold.

Hublots are generally big, sporty things, but this one is bang-on for dressy occasions. Released earlier this month, it’s note-perfect revival of the first Classic Fusion from 1980, complete with the nice minimalist touch of the 12 screws in the bezel standing in for hour markers. GQ’s lifestyle director Mike Christensen has hailed this as his favourite watch of the year, and it’s good to know one of football’s modern gods thinks similarly. Great minds, monsieur!

What else was going on on the wrists of Ballon d’Or attendees? We’ve already covered Kane’s trophy-worthy Rolex Daytona separately, so how about a brace of excellent Richard Milles, courtesy of Ousmane Dembélé and Lamine Yamal? These guys are a decade apart in age – 29 and 19 respectively – and you can tell it in their watch game. For Dembélé, a 2026 model that’s already become a footballers’ favourite, having been worn by Declan Rice, Erling Haaland and others: the RM 55-01, a feather-light, mechanical design with a skeletonised, see-through dial. Like Mbappé’s Hublot, it’s the kind of watch that takes a usually sporty brand into black tie–friendly territory.

Lamal was a bit more playful – as you might be, if you were still a teenager and third-placed in the Ballon d’Or rankings. For him, an RM 67-01. Again, it’s on the slimmer end for RMs, but with a pink gold case and a pink rubber strap to match his big old floral brooch, it was not short on flair. That’s the Ballon d’Or for you – even the also-rans are flexing like nobody else can.