Kylian Mbappé has made no attempt to hide his ambition ahead of the 2026 Ballon d’Or, openly declaring that he believes his individual performances and historic achievements make him a worthy candidate for football’s biggest personal prize.
The Real Madrid forward, who is among the nominees for this year’s award, discussed his chances in an interview with L’Équipe and again when speaking to the media ahead of Madrid’s Champions League opener against Inter. The 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony is scheduled for October 26 at the London Palladium.
Asked directly who would receive his Ballon d’Or vote, Mbappé did not hesitate: himself.
His reasoning is centred on the nature of the award. While team success inevitably plays a role in the debate, the Frenchman believes an individual prize should place significant weight on what a player has produced personally.
That argument has become particularly relevant because one of the main criticisms surrounding Mbappé’s candidacy is his lack of major club silverware. The 27-year-old, however, does not believe that should automatically rule him out.
Mbappé pointed to the fact that no Ballon d’Or winner satisfies every possible criterion and argued that disagreement is simply part of an award decided by individual voters. In his view, his own case is strong enough that winning would hardly amount to taking the trophy away from a more deserving player.
There is certainly statistical weight behind his confidence.
Mbappé finished the 2026 World Cup as the tournament’s leading scorer with 10 goals and, in the process, took his career tally at World Cups to 22; making him the competition’s all-time leading scorer. He has described that achievement as “making history” on football’s biggest stage.
For Mbappé, records of that magnitude deserve to matter when the votes are counted.
The French captain’s argument goes beyond the World Cup.
Mbappé highlighted his ability to score at the highest level and presented his record in major competitions as one of the strongest elements of his candidacy. Rather than pretending that team trophies do not matter, his position appears to be that they should not completely overshadow exceptional individual production.
“I believe that making history should always be rewarded,” was the message behind his case to L’Équipe.
It also reflects the way Mbappé views himself. Asked separately whether he considers himself the best player in the world, the Madrid forward answered that he always does; while immediately recognising that others are entitled to disagree.
The 2026 race is far from straightforward. Mbappé is competing in a field that includes Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal, defending winner Ousmane Dembélé and several other leading names. UEFA officially confirmed the nominees on September 8, with the winner to be decided before next month’s ceremony.
Mbappé therefore stopped short of claiming that the award belongs to him. His point was simpler: judged on his own performances and records, he believes he has earned the right to be considered seriously.
His Ballon d’Or comments were not the only moment in which Mbappé defended his game.
During his press conference ahead of Real Madrid’s Champions League meeting with Inter, he was asked whether he and Vinícius Júnior needed to contribute more defensively, with Ousmane Dembélé and Raphinha cited as examples of attacking players who press more aggressively.
Mbappé initially challenged the premise of singling out Madrid’s two forwards before acknowledging that he can improve.
But he also had a pointed response to the comparison.
He joked that he could just as easily argue that he scores more goals than the two players mentioned and tell them that they need to improve in that department. His broader point was that elite attackers bring different qualities to their teams and should not necessarily be judged using exactly the same criteria.
Mbappé nevertheless accepted his defensive responsibilities, saying both he and the rest of the Madrid team must improve their work without the ball. At the same time, he stressed that his own game contains qualities that other players do not necessarily possess.
It is a stance that also explains his Ballon d’Or argument.
Mbappé is not claiming to be flawless. He is arguing that individual excellence comes in different forms; and that goals, records and performances on the biggest stages should carry considerable weight.
Whether enough voters agree will become clear on October 26. For Mbappé, though, there is apparently no uncertainty about where his own vote would go.
