Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe believes his individual goalscoring records merit winning the Ballon d`Or despite finishing the season without club or international trophies, according to an interview with France Football reported by Reuters and Al Jazeera. The 27-year-old French international argued that the award honors individual performance rather than collective silverware.
Mbappe endured a trophyless start across his opening two campaigns with Real Madrid, but produced notable offensive statistics across multiple competitions.
He registered 15 goals in the UEFA Champions League and 25 goals in La Liga before advancing his career World Cup tally to 22, surpassing previous historic benchmarks to become the competition`s all-time leading scorer. France`s World Cup run concluded with a 2-0 semifinal defeat against Spain. Mbappe asserted that historically the honor has recognized distinct individual contributions during the era of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, claiming no rival player matched his statistical production across top-level tournaments.
During the interview, Mbappe also welcomed the appointment of 1998 World Cup winner Zinedine Zidane as the new head coach of the French national team.
Zidane took over management of the national side following the departure of Didier Deschamps. Mbappe described the former midfielder as an iconic sporting figure whose influence spans multiple generations of French athletes. The striker noted that his focus remains centered on short-term competitive milestones as the voting window for the global individual prize draws near.
