Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe believes his record-breaking summer with the French national team places him among the top contenders for the upcoming Ballon d’Or.
Speaking ahead of Madrid’s European clash against Inter Milan, the 27-year-old admitted that representing the Spanish giants elevates expectations surrounding prestigious individual honours.
Mbappe dominated the World Cup over the summer, winning the Golden Boot after scoring 10 goals.
“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,” Mbappe said.
Although France finished in fourth place, Mbappe’s outstanding personal performances have significantly boosted his chances of claiming the prestigious award for the first time. The French captain noted that playing at the Santiago Bernabeu for Real Madrid keeps him central to global awards talk.
“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,” he added.
Collective trophies a priority over personal awards, says Mbappe
Despite his individual success, Mbappe acknowledged that Real Madrid need to win trophies after a two-year barren spell.
“We have to improve. 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.” Mbappe said.
While individual honours remain a major talking point, Mbappe maintained that securing major silverware with his club will always take precedence over personal statistics.
“I’d happily score only 30 goals if it meant winning trophies. I’d rather win titles. If I have to choose between the two, I’ll take the trophies. But I always want to score goals. I want to do both.”
