Kylian Mbappé, the French forward for Real Madrid, has staked his claim for the 2026 Ballon d'Or, saying that over the past season no player has been better than him, pointing above all to this year's World Cup, where he overtook Lionel Messi as the tournament's all-time top scorer.
In an interview published by the French sports newspaper L'Équipe, Mbappé said no player had been better than him, adding that people had spoken about his achievements, about scoring so many goals in major competitions against the best players in the world, and above all at the World Cup, the most important event of all, where he became the competition's all-time top scorer. He said that was all anyone had talked to him about during his entire holiday.
Mbappé, 27, said it was remarkable to already be the World Cup's leading scorer of all time at his age. He described it as fantastic to take the record from Messi, who he said many consider the greatest player in history alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, and said this kind of achievement was different from others.
Case for the Ballon d'Or
The captain of the French national team argued he has every chance of winning the Ballon d'Or for the first time in his career, despite not having won any major title this season, neither the World Cup with France, nor the Champions League, nor La Liga with Real Madrid.
Mbappé said football is a collective sport but the Ballon d'Or is an individual trophy, and that his idea of the award comes from the era of Messi and Ronaldo, when it never went to ordinary players but to different, exceptional ones. He said he believes he has done different things this year and therefore considers himself capable of winning it.
A record-breaking World Cup
Mbappé finished as the top scorer of the 2026 World Cup with ten goals in eight matches, taking his career tally in the tournament to 22 goals, the most by any player in World Cup history. Across the 2025-2026 season he scored 58 goals and provided 13 assists in 60 appearances for club and country.
The Ballon d'Or, awarded annually by France Football, recognises the best footballer of the season and is widely regarded as the sport's most prestigious individual honour. The winner for 2026 will be announced on October 26.
Messi's rival claim
Messi, 39, who now plays for Inter Miami, scored 45 goals and gave 30 assists in 49 matches over the same period. He is seeking a ninth Ballon d'Or, having already won in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021 and 2023, putting him ahead of the five won by Ronaldo, who was not among this year's nominees.
Messi captained Argentina to the World Cup final against Spain, where his side lost 1-0, though he finished the tournament with eight goals and four assists.
