Mbappé targets first Ballon d'Or after record-breaking World Cup Golden Boot

Kylian Mbappé has said he believes 2025 could finally be the year he wins the Ballon d’Or, citing a record-breaking World Cup campaign and a prolific season at Real Madrid as his case for the award.

Speaking ahead of Real Madrid’s Champions League opener against Inter Milan in Madrid on Tuesday, Mbappé pointed to his second consecutive World Cup Golden Boot — earned with 10 goals, the most in 56 years — and his surpassing of Lionel Messi’s all-time World Cup scoring record with 22 goals. He also contributed 42 goals in 44 matches for Real Madrid last season, though the club ended the campaign without a major trophy.

“There are many people who speak about me and the Ballon d’Or,” Mbappé said on Monday. “Of course, I’ve made history in the most important competition. Maybe it’s a good year for this, but people can vote according to what they think.”

The award will be presented on 26 October in London. Last year’s men’s Ballon d’Or was won by Ousmane Dembélé after Paris Saint-Germain claimed their first Champions League title.

Mbappé, whose best previous finish in the voting was third in 2023, was characteristically self-assured when asked about his standing among the game’s elite. “I think when you play for Real Madrid, the best club in the world, people automatically associate you with this award,” he said. “I always think I’m the best, but everyone is entitled to their own opinion.”

He was less keen to engage in direct comparisons with rivals. “I don’t like making comparisons because I do a lot of things that others don’t,” Mbappé added. “If we get into that it becomes an endless debate, you know?”

He faces stiff competition for the prize. Harry Kane scored 61 goals in 51 games for Bayern Munich, while Lamine Yamal won the World Cup with Spain and La Liga with Barcelona — a combination of individual brilliance and team success that has made the teenager one of the frontrunners.