Kylian Mbappe believes it is understandable that he is being discussed as a Ballon d’Or contender this year following his outstanding World Cup campaign.
The France captain claimed the tournament’s Golden Boot after scoring 10 times, although his team ended the competition in fourth place. His career World Cup tally has now reached 22 goals, making him the competition’s leading scorer in history.
At 27, Mbappe is still waiting to win the prestigious award presented to the world’s best footballer.
“Playing for Real Madrid, the biggest club in the world, naturally puts you in conversations about awards — both team honours and individual prizes,” Mbappe said. “When people see me in the street, many of them mention the Ballon d’Or. A lot of people speak about me as someone who could win it.
“I achieved something historic this summer in the most important competition in sport, but we will have to wait and see.
“I feel this could be a good year for me, although there is still plenty of time remaining. Everyone is entitled to vote for the player they believe has been the best in the world.”
Mbappe has produced prolific scoring figures since moving to Real Madrid in 2024, but the Spanish giants have yet to claim a major trophy during that period.
Today, the 15-time European champions welcome Inter Milan in the opening league-phase fixture of their Champions League campaign.
Across Mbappe’s first two seasons in Madrid, the side has often looked short of balance. The French forward and Brazilian winger Vinicius Junior have been among the high-profile players criticised for not making a sufficient contribution to the collective effort, unlike Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembele and Barcelona’s Raphinha.
“There is definitely room for improvement,” Mbappe acknowledged. “I could be foolish and say that I have scored more than Dembele and Raphinha, and that they need to increase their numbers to match mine.
“Every player is different. I want to be sensible enough to admit that I also need to develop, but comparisons do not appeal to me because I believe I bring qualities that other players do not.”
Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho recently suggested he would rather see Mbappe score less often if that helped the team secure more silverware.
Mbappe said he would be willing to accept a smaller goal total in exchange for trophies, while insisting that personal scoring success and team achievements could coexist.
“Yes, I would accept 30 goals if they came with titles, but this argument is ridiculous to me,” Mbappe said. “I always want to find the net and win trophies. There is no need to pick one — both are possible.”
Mourinho, the experienced Portuguese coach, guided Inter to Champions League triumph at the Santiago Bernabeu in 2010 before leaving the Italian club to take charge of Real Madrid.
Although he led Inter to a treble that season and retains a strong connection with the club, Mourinho said those memories would have relevance only before and after the contest, not while it was being played.
“There are not many familiar faces left from my time there, but it will always be enjoyable to meet people — including those I have never met — who support Inter, either before or after the match,” Mourinho said. “Once the game begins, my aim is to win and theirs is to win. There will be no opportunity to dwell on a magnificent period from the past.”
Mourinho is looking for Madrid to respond after they suffered their first loss of the season, a 1-0 defeat away to Real Betis in La Liga on Friday.
“My priority is victory. I could say that I want us to play well, but I do not want another performance like the one against Betis if it ends in defeat,” Mourinho said. “We are entering a period in which we have eight matches, and the target across those games is qualification. I believe we will achieve that, but I want to view this fixture separately from the wider situation.
“For me, this is a standalone match. I do not want to focus on the fact that seven more games remain. I want to win this one.”
