Real Madrid Kylian Mbappe has revealed his chances of winning the prestigious Ballon d’Or award this year, noting that he has no chance.
This year’s edition of the prestigious award is set to hold on the 22nd of August. Mbappe is nominated for the Ballon d’Or, which he has never won – coming closest when he finished third in the voting two years ago.
Despite scoring 39 goals in his debut season with Madrid, Mbappe does not believe this will be his year either.
Speaking to L’Equipe, the 26-year-old player was swift in his assessment of his chances against the likes of Ousmane Dembele and Achraf Hakimi, who are both former Paris Saint-Germain team-mates.
“I can’t win this year,” he said with a laugh.
“I can’t choose between two friends. What matters is that their performances are recognised. And, for both of them, I would be very happy either way.”
There are four Frenchman nominated for the men’s award, with Mbappe and Dembele joined by Michael Olise and Desire Doue.
Kylian Mbappé of Real Madrid celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the LaLiga EA Sports match between Real Madrid CF and CA Osasuna . (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
Mbappe has been reunited with his French colleagues on international duty this month, as France attempt to qualify for next year’s FIFA World Cup.
And he was quick to praise the squad, paying tribute to his side when asked if they were the strongest he had played with.
“The most talented, yes. The strongest, not yet. The one with the most potential, yes. It’s infinite. In every position, they play as starters at the best clubs in the world.
“That’s all there is to it. But as a team, we’re not yet stronger than the team that won the World Cup in 2018, or the one that reached the final in 2022.
“Does this team have the potential to be the best team? 100 per cent. Will it be? It’s up to us to do it. We have to be ambitious with players of this quality.
“Players are arriving younger and younger. We’re no longer afraid to call up a player who has fewer than 100 professional matches, who is in his first season.”
Mbappe left PSG for Real Madrid at the end of the 2023/24 season to hunt for a first Champions League medal, however, PSG lifted the title that same season.
But he insists there are no hard feelings about the timing of PSG’s storming run to the title, especially given the close tie he retains to many players in the team.
The striker continued: “I have friends on the team, and those who know me know that friendship is important to me.
“My story was over, and I left with no regrets.
“Even the things I did wrong are part of my story.
When I played there, we came very close, we reached two semi-finals and one final. We didn’t win, and my time is up.
“Real Madrid [was] calling me; it’s always been my dream. I could have left earlier…”
The Ballon d’Or ceremony takes place on September 22 in Paris, where Mbappe will find out if his prediction that he can’t win is tru
