Mbappé claims 2026 Ballon d'Or with historic World Cup record

Kylian Mbappé openly made his case for the 2026 Ballon d’Or, whose ceremony will be held on October 26 in London. In an interview with RFI, the Real Madrid striker highlighted his individual statistics as a central argument, days after a similar interview with L’Équipe.

The striker first relied on his 2026 World Cup record. Top scorer of the tournament with 10 goals, he above all established a new all-time record: 22 goals scored in World Cup history, ahead of Lionel Messi (21). “I was the top scorer in all the biggest competitions, and I think that could be a good year for me. I feel good about it,” he said.

Mbappé insists on the individual dimension of the trophy to justify his candidacy. “At the Ballon d’Or, they won’t announce a team in the envelope, but a player. So it’s an individual trophy, and I think that’s what should take priority over everything. The ability to perform individually and to dazzle, that’s what marks people for a trophy like that.”

On the significance of his record, the France captain acknowledges he did not fully grasp it during the competition. “When you’re in the heat of action, you simply want to move to the next objective, the next match, score the next goal. But it’s true that when I was on vacation, everyone only talked to me about that. You realize how important the World Cup is. It’s the greatest sports competition, and it marks people.”

Mbappé takes care to clarify that the Ballon d’Or is not an “obsession.” He also acknowledges the disappointment of France’s elimination in the semi-finals by Spain (2-0), while refusing to call the French campaign “disappointing”: “When you don’t win, you’re always disappointed. But I think we gave a good image of our country.”