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Thierry Henry names Mbappé as Ballon d'Or 2026 favourite despite lack of collective title

Speaking on CBS Sports, Thierry Henry clearly backed Kylian Mbappé for the 2026 Ballon d'Or, citing his top scorer awards in the UEFA Champions League, La Liga and the FIFA World Cup.

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Thierry Henry names Mbappé as Ballon d'Or 2026 favourite despite lack of collective title
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Thierry Henry has made his choice: for the 1998 World Cup winner, it is Kylian Mbappé who deserves to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or, with the ceremony to be held on 26 October in London. Questioned on the CBS Sports set after the publication of the 30-man shortlist, the former striker defended his choice without hesitation.

“People will tell me he won nothing. I think some should do their research and they will discover that some Ballon d’Or winners won nothing the year before their triumph,” he declared, anticipating criticism. Henry then listed the arguments in favour of the Frenchman: top scorer in the UEFA Champions League, top scorer in La Liga and top scorer at the FIFA World Cup.

His second choice is Michael Olise, whom he places “not far” from Mbappé. On the other hand, Ousmane Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, despite winning the Ligue des Champions with PSG, do not feature in his equation. Henry also mentioned the case of Lionel Messi: “If he had won the World Cup, I think Messi would have won the Ballon d’Or.”

The 30-man shortlist unveiled on Tuesday also includes Rodri, Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal, Fabian Ruiz and Ousmane Dembélé, the defending champion. Six weeks before the ceremony, no candidate has unanimous support: the 70th edition of the Ballon d’Or is shaping up to be more contested than ever.

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