Zidane confirms Mbappé deserved the Ballon d'Or won by Kane

Kylian Mbappé deserved the 2026 Ballon d’Or: that is the conviction of Zinédine Zidane, expressed publicly as the Real Madrid striker finished second in the vote, narrowly behind Harry Kane.

“He is second, you just have to accept it. He is disappointed of course because he deserved it,” said the France manager. Words that resonate all the more as Mbappé is going through a remarkable run of form: nine goals in seven consecutive matches, 18 goals in total since the start of the season, all accompanied by a streak of eight consecutive victories across all competitions for Real Madrid.

These statistics could have been enough to swing the decision, but the trophy ultimately eluded the Bondy native two weeks ago. For Zidane, the verdict is hard to swallow, even as he urges his player to move on: “Everyone has their preference.”

Mbappé now knows what he must accomplish to finally win his first Ballon d’Or: continue to perform at the highest level in the club and add collective trophies to his honours. With France, the focus is on the UEFA Nations League and finding his bearings under the new Zidane era.

During his first squad gathering under this manager, Mbappé scored the winning goal in Turkey (0-1) before suffering an injury and missing the next three matches. This time he returns to the squad without competition from Ousmane Dembélé for the centre-forward position, which should give him more freedom.

Zidane remains cautious about managing his striker: “Certainly he will be happy to rejoin the France team. In his first call-up, he scored and then left. He certainly wanted to stay with us but it wasn’t possible. He is a player who plays a lot, so we have to be careful.”