Mbappé Sends Strong Ballon d’Or Message: ‘It Would Be Disappointing Not to Win’

Kylian Mbappé has made his feelings about the Ballon d’Or perfectly clear: he is not obsessed with winning the prestigious award, but he believes he has every reason to dream of lifting it this year.

Speaking to French radio station RFI, the Real Madrid forward pointed to his individual numbers and his historic World Cup campaign as major reasons why he believes he has a genuine chance of finally claiming the prize.

“I think the Ballon d’Or is an objective for every player, but I don’t think it’s an obsession,” Mbappé explained. “I’ve had a good year, a great year individually. I know that’s the most important criterion for the Ballon d’Or. I was the top scorer in the biggest competitions and I have good feelings, so I think this can be a good year for me.”

‘It would be disappointing not to win’

Mbappé went a step further when asked how he would react if he failed to win the award.

The Frenchman admitted that missing out would inevitably hurt his competitive spirit.

“Of course, I would be disappointed,” Mbappé said. “I think an athlete is always disappointed when they don’t win. So the thing that would be affected most would be my competitive spirit. But we’ll see what happens.”

The forward has been particularly confident about his chances because of his individual achievements. He scored 42 goals for Real Madrid last season, including 15 in the Champions League, while also finishing as the World Cup’s leading scorer with 10 goals. His 22 total World Cup goals have made him the competition’s all-time leading scorer.

Mbappé believes the World Cup matters

One of the strongest arguments behind Mbappé’s candidacy is his performance at the World Cup.

Although France ultimately failed to win the tournament, Mbappé believes the team left a positive impression and that his individual contribution should carry significant weight in the Ballon d’Or race.

“The World Cup is the biggest sporting competition and the one that leaves the biggest mark,” he said. “In the race for the Ballon d’Or, obviously, that’s something that has to be highlighted.”

Mbappé also emphasized the individual nature of the award, arguing that personal performances should be central to the decision.

“They’re not going to announce a team when they open the envelope. They’re going to announce a player,” he said. “It’s an individual trophy, and I think that should come first.”

‘I’m not going to be someone else’

Mbappé also addressed the criticism surrounding his increasingly confident comments about his Ballon d’Or chances.

Rather than changing his approach to satisfy his critics, the Real Madrid star insisted that he will continue to speak honestly and remain true to himself.

“I’ve never looked for general consensus,” Mbappé said. “I can’t be someone else. I’m not going to try to learn to be different from who I am. I try to be myself, with my qualities and my flaws, my successes and my failures.”

Mbappé praises Mourinho

The French superstar also had plenty to say about José Mourinho, who is now his manager at Real Madrid.

Mbappé revealed that working with Mourinho had been something he had wanted for years, describing the Portuguese coach as one of the outstanding managers of the modern era.

“Mourinho is someone I’ve always wanted to have as a coach,” Mbappé said. “He has always aroused my curiosity. He’s an extremely intelligent man who knows exactly what he has to do. As a coach, he’s one of the best of the modern era.”

For Mbappé, the Ballon d’Or now represents another major personal target. With the ceremony approaching on October 16, the Real Madrid forward knows he has a serious case — but he will have to wait to discover whether his individual achievements are enough to finally put his hands on the trophy.