Mbappe continues media push for Ballon d'Or recognition

France and Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe continued his media push to win the Ballon d'Or on Tuesday by insisting that he feels confident he will claim the prestigious award.

The 27-year-old was top scorer at the World Cup in the summer and in both last season's Champions League and La Liga.

But, he won nothing, as France lost in the World Cup semifinals and Real finished second in La Liga and was bundled out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals.

"They won't announce a team in the envelope, they will announce a player," Mbappe told RFI radio station.

"The ability to perform individually and produce eye-catching moments, that's what stands out to people for an award like this.

"I was top scorer in all the biggest competitions, and I think that this could be a good year for me. I really feel it."

The former Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain player scored 25 La Liga goals last season, 15 in the Champions League and another 10 at the World Cup, enabling him to become the all-time leading goalscorer in the tournament, with 22 strikes in total.

But he faces tough competition for the Ballon d'Or, particularly from players who enjoyed success with their club or country in 2026.

Spanish pair Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres won La Liga with Barcelona and the World Cup, PSG duo Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia won the French Ligue 1 and the Champions League, while Harry Kane was a Bundesliga champion with Bayern Munich.

As the French team gathered on the outskirts of Paris for a training camp ahead of its Nations League games against Turkiye on Friday and Belgium next Monday, before hosting Italy on Oct 2 and Belgium on Oct 5, Mbappe did not participate on Tuesday because of a bout of the flu, the team said.

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