Kylian Mbappé does not bother with false modesty. Not when the Ballon d’Or is on the table.
The Real Madrid forward, one of the leading contenders for this year’s award, has made it clear where his vote would go when France Football hands out the Golden Ball in late October.
To himself.
In an interview with French outlet L'Équipe, relayed by journalist Fabrizio Romano, Mbappé was asked the inevitable question: in a field packed with elite names, who would get his backing?
"Who would I vote for the Ballon d'Or? I'd vote for me. It is an individual award. We look at what the player has done individually," he said. "When we look at the arguments… I look, and I say to myself that yeah… it wouldn't be stolen."
It is not an empty claim. At 27, Mbappé has just come off a season in which he smashed past the 40-goal mark in the white of Real Madrid, then went on to break the all-time goalscoring record at the World Cup over the summer. Few players on the planet can stack those numbers side by side.
The counter-argument is obvious, and it has followed him all year. Goals, yes. Glory, no. Real Madrid finished the campaign without a major trophy. France did the same. For traditionalists, the Ballon d’Or belongs to the man whose brilliance drags his team to silverware.
Mbappé sees it differently. The award, he insists, should reflect what a player does on the pitch as an individual, not simply what the honours list says in May.
That tension sits at the heart of this year’s race. On one side, the old equation: titles plus big-game moments equal Ballon d’Or. On the other, a forward who has redefined scoring standards and refuses to apologise for believing that such output, even in a trophyless season, still deserves football’s most prestigious individual prize.
He knows the debate will rage until the envelope is opened. He also knows where he stands in it.
In Mbappé’s mind, if his name is called in October, it will not feel like a theft.
