Real Madrid locker room believe Kylian Mbappe will win the Ballon d’Or – report

Real Madrid locker room believe Kylian Mbappe will win the Ballon d’Or – report London will host one of the most highly-anticipated Ballon d’Or galas in recent memory this weekend, with no less than four players in contention to win the coveted trophy. There has been a lot of chatter about Lamine Yamal’s candidacy after his poor showing against Real Madrid last night. But he remains one of the favourites, alongside Bayern Munich star Harry Kane. Rodri and Kylian Mbappe, in that respect, were always considered dark horses, with Mbappe, in particular, not having any silverware to back up his candidacy, even though his individual numbers last season were astonishing, to say the least. Real Madrid locker room remains confident Can Mbappe secure his first Ballon d’Or this evening? (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images) A recent report from The Athletic has reiterated that the Real Madrid locker room is confident of Mbappe winning the Ballon d’Or this evening. The feeling within the dressing room is that the Frenchman will walk away with the award. That belief has not wavered after El Clasico , where Mbappe scored both goals in a 2-1 win over Barcelona. It’s not hard to see why Real Madrid are so confident. Mbappe became the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history this summer, taking his tally to 22 goals, and also finished as the top scorer in both the Champions League and La Liga. His Clasico double has only strengthened the sense among his teammates that he has been the most decisive player in the world over the past year. Still an uphill battle for Mbappe Yamal and Harry Kane remain strong contenders to win the Ballon d’Or. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images) Despite the dressing room’s optimism, the odds could be stacked against Mbappe. For all his goals, the Frenchman ended last season without a single major trophy, and that is likely to count heavily against him when the votes are tallied. The Ballon d’Or, in recent years, has often leaned towards players who lifted the biggest honours rather than those who produced the best individual campaigns. Rodri’s win over Vinicius in 2024 was decided largely on that basis, and Kane and Yamal both have stronger collective achievements to point to this time around. Mbappe’s numbers may be unmatched, but history suggests they alone may not be enough. And Florentino Perez skipping the event tonight is perhaps an indicator that the Frenchman may walk away with nothing this evening.