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Mbappé ranks Dembélé above Benzema, Modric and Ronaldinho in his dream Ballon d'Or ranking

Asked about his favourite Ballon d'Or winners in history, Kylian Mbappé systematically chose Ousmane Dembélé over Benzema, Rodri, Modric and Kaká, before wavering over Ronaldinho and refusing to pick between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

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Mbappé ranks Dembélé above Benzema, Modric and Ronaldinho in his dream Ballon d'Or ranking
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Kylian Mbappé delivered an unexpected personal ranking of the greatest Ballon d’Or winners in history, placing his former PSG teammate Ousmane Dembélé above Karim Benzema, Rodri, Luka Modric and Kaká in a series of head-to-heads proposed by L’Équipe.

Faced with each opponent, the Real Madrid striker’s answer was the same: “Ousmane Dembélé.” A loyalty that only wavered when Ronaldinho’s name appeared. “Ah Ousmane, sorry… Ronaldinho!” he then corrected himself, before naming R9 — Ronaldo Nazário — against the Brazilian, then against Johan Cruyff and Michel Platini.

The exercise continued with Zinédine Zidane, the new France manager. Mbappé did not hesitate: “Zizou.” But against Lionel Messi, it was the Argentine who won out. There remained the ultimate duel, Messi against Cristiano Ronaldo: “Wow… Joker! Yeah, joker.” The debate over the GOAT thus remains without his verdict.

These comments come as Mbappé himself features among the 30 nominees for the 2026 Ballon d’Or, whose ceremony will be held on 26 October in London. Without a collective title this season with Real Madrid or the France team, the striker can nevertheless rely on a solid statistical record: top scorer in La Liga, the Ligue des Champions and the World Cup.

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