Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappé feels 2026 could be a ‘good year’ for him to win the Ballon d’Or

Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappé feels 2026 could be a ‘good year’ for him to win the Ballon d’Or Could Kylian Mbappé (27) spring a surprise and win the 2026 Ballon d’Or? With just a few weeks to go until the prestigious award ceremony (on 26th October), it would take a very clever person indeed to predict with any certainty who will succeed Ousmane Dembélé (29). It’s a tight race that could well work in the Frenchman’s favour. He, at any rate, believes so. “I think that when you play for Real – the best club in the world – people naturally associate you with this sort of honour, whether team or individual,” he said at a press conference on Monday. “Of course, lots of people on the street talk to me about the Ballon d’Or and say I’m a possible winner. It’s an award that, for any player, is a very positive thing. It’s true that I made a lot of history this summer in the sport’s most important competition. We’ll see. I have a feeling it’s a good year for that. But there’s still plenty of time, and people are free to think whatever they like about who they believe is the best player in the world.” Although he has not won a single trophy at club level, Mbappé nevertheless has a strong case to make in support of his nomination. Last season’s La Liga top scorer, Real Madrid’s number 10 rounded off his 2025-26 campaign with 42 goals in 44 matches across all competitions. Above all, as he himself has pointed out, the Frenchman enjoyed a historic World Cup. Having become the competition’s all-time top scorer (22 goals) at just 27 years of age, Mbappé also made history by becoming the first player ever to finish as the World Cup’s top scorer on two occasions – in 2022 and 2026. These achievements could well weigh heavily in the minds of voters when it comes to making their choice. GFFN | Léo Aschi