Mbappé: "There was no better player than me"

This week, "France Football" announced the 30 nominees for the 2026 Ballon d'Or.

Kylian Mbappé is, of course, on the list, although he experienced a season without major titles: With Real Madrid, he had to cede the championship to FC Barcelona and was eliminated in the Champions League quarter-finals against FC Bayern.

Nevertheless, the captain of the French national team sees himself as a deserving winner. "There was no better player than me," the 27-year-old explained in an interview with "L'Équipe", adding: "I feel like I can win it this year. That's one of my short-term goals."

He bases his arguments on an outstanding individual record. Mbappé was the top scorer in LaLiga with 25 goals and in the Champions League with 15 goals. For Real Madrid, he was directly involved in 49 goals in 44 matches.

At the World Cup, he also scored ten times, secured the Golden Boot and crowned himself the sole World Cup record goalscorer, even though France failed in the semi-finals against eventual world champions Spain.

Strong Competition from Kane and World Champions

However, Bayern attacker Harry Kane is clearly ahead with bookmakers. The Englishman won Europe's Golden Shoe with 36 goals, secured the double with the Munich side and scored an incredible 73 goals in 66 competitive matches. Barcelona's Lamine Yamal also has good chances, having won the Spanish championship and the World Cup.

With his stance, Mbappé reignites the debate on whether individual brilliance or team titles should be decisive in the vote. "This is an individual award. I have never seen a Ballon d'Or won unanimously. Has anyone ever won with 100 percent of the votes?" argued the striker.

He emphasizes the historical dimension of his performance: "Being the best goalscorer in the history of the World Cup, leaving all the greatest legends behind – and doing so in the most important tournament – that's something that sticks in the memory. These are votes where subjective assessments play a role."

Backing from the "Special One"

He receives backing from his new coach at Real Madrid, José Mourinho. The latter recently emphasized that the award should honor a player who has individually made history. The club is considered a "Ballon d'Or machine" anyway, having already produced twelve winners.

The decision will be made on October 26 at the gala in London. Mbappé would be the seventh Frenchman to win the coveted trophy, following Ousmane Dembélé (2025), Karim Benzema (2022), Zinédine Zidane (1998), Jean-Pierre Papin (1991), Michel Platini (1983, 1984, 1985), and Raymond Kopa (1958).