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Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe said on Monday that his performances at the 2026 World Cup have naturally put him in contention for this year’s Ballon d’Or.
The France captain scored 10 goals at the tournament to win the Golden Boot, while France finished fourth. His goals also took his World Cup tally to 22, making him the competition’s all-time leading scorer.
Mbappe, 27, is yet to win the Ballon d’Or, the award presented to the world’s best player.
He said playing for Real Madrid naturally puts him in conversations about major individual and team honours, adding that people often mention the Ballon d’Or when they meet him.
Mbappe acknowledged that he had made history at the World Cup, which he described as the biggest competition in sport, but said the award would ultimately be decided by voters.
He said he felt the year had been a positive one for his chances, while noting that there was still plenty of time before the winner is determined.
“I think that when you play for Real Madrid, which is the best club in the world, naturally people associate you with that kind of award, they associate you with collective awards, individual awards,” Mbappe told reporters.
“A lot of people, when they see me in the street, talk to me about the Ballon d’Or, a lot of people talk about me as a possible Ballon d’Or winner…
“Of course, I made a lot of history this summer in the most important competition in sport, but we’ll see.
“I have the feeling that it’s a good year for that, but there’s still a long time to go and people are free to vote for whoever they think is the best player in the world,” he added.
Since joining Real Madrid in 2024, Mbappe has continued to score prolifically, although the club has yet to win a major trophy during his time in Spain.
Real Madrid will host Inter Milan on Tuesday in their opening Champions League league-phase match.
Mbappe also acknowledged the need for improvement at Real Madrid as the team looks to become more balanced, but rejected comparisons with Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembele and Barcelona winger Raphinha.
He said every player has different qualities and that he would rather focus on improving his own contribution than compare his performances with those of other forwards.
“We have to improve,” admitted Mbappe. “But I could play dumb and tell you that I score more goals than (Dembele and Raphinha), and that they need to score more goals to be like me.
“Everyone is different, but I want to do things intelligently and say that of course I have to improve and all that, but I don’t like comparisons because I think I do a lot of things that others don’t do,” he said.
The France international also responded to suggestions that he should score fewer goals and contribute more to the team’s pursuit of trophies.
Mbappe said he would accept scoring 30 goals if it meant winning titles, but argued that goals and trophies were not mutually exclusive. He maintained that his objective was to continue scoring while also helping Real Madrid win silverware.
Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho will come up against his former club Inter, whom he guided to Champions League glory in 2010 at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Mourinho also led the Italian side to a treble that year before leaving to become Real Madrid coach.
The Portuguese said his connection with people associated with Inter remained important to him, but would not affect his approach during Tuesday’s match, with both teams focused on winning.
Inter coach Cristian Chivu was part of Mourinho’s Champions League-winning Inter side in 2010 and played under him in that final.
Chivu described Mourinho as a special person and a winner, praising his record at Inter and other major clubs. He also backed Real Madrid to have a successful season.
Mourinho will be seeking a response from his players after Real Madrid suffered their first defeat of the season on Friday, losing 1-0 to Real Betis in La Liga.
He said he wanted his team to win rather than simply play well, pointing to the defeat against Betis as an example of why a good performance meant little without a positive result.
