Mbappe Continues Push for Ballon d’Or Recognition

Real Madrid and France forward Kylian Mbappe has continued his push for the Ballon d’Or, insisting that his individual performances make him a strong candidate for the prestigious award.

The 27-year-old said on Tuesday that he remains confident of winning the prize despite ending the season without a major team trophy.

Mbappe was the top scorer in La Liga and the Champions League last season before finishing as the leading scorer at the 2026 World Cup.

He scored 25 goals in La Liga, 15 in the Champions League and 10 at the World Cup, taking his total World Cup goals to 22 and making him the competition’s all-time leading scorer.

Speaking to RFI, Mbappe stressed the individual nature of the award and argued that personal performances should be a major consideration.

“They won’t announce a team in the envelope; they will announce a player,” he said.

Mbappe added that his ability to produce outstanding individual performances and decisive moments could strengthen his case for the award.

His campaign, however, comes against a backdrop of limited collective success. Real Madrid finished second in La Liga and were eliminated by Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals, while France lost to Spain in the World Cup semi-finals.

Other leading contenders enjoyed significant team success during the year. Spain won the World Cup, with Rodri captaining the side, while Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres combined domestic and international success.

Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia also won Ligue 1 and the Champions League, while Harry Kane helped Bayern Munich claim the Bundesliga title.

Mbappe has previously expressed his belief that he deserves the award. In an earlier interview with France Football, he said he believed he could win it and argued that the absence of team trophies should not automatically rule him out because the Ballon d’Or is an individual honour.

Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has also publicly backed Mbappe’s credentials for the award.

The Ballon d’Or ceremony is scheduled to take place in London on October 26, when the winner of the 2026 award will be announced.