Mbappé Believes He Can Win 2026 Ballon d'Or

Kylian Mbappé believes 2026 could be the year he finally wins the Ballon d’Or, with the Real Madrid forward also revealing his desire to see the prestigious award return to the Santiago Bernabéu.

Mbappé addressed his Ballon d’Or ambitions during an interview with Diario AS, insisting that his performances on the pitch should provide the strongest argument for his candidacy.

“In my opinion, this is a good year to win it,” Mbappé said.

“My feet are my best advocates, more so than anything I might say!”

The France international is among the 30 nominees for this year’s Ballon d’Or and has been one of the most prolific attacking players in Europe during the voting period.

Mbappé scored 25 goals in LaLiga and added 15 in the Champions League, while also becoming the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history with 22 goals. Those individual achievements have formed a major part of his case for the award.

However, the absence of major team trophies has also been part of the discussion surrounding his candidacy. Real Madrid ended the relevant campaign without a major trophy, while France were eliminated by Spain in the World Cup semi-finals.

Mbappé nevertheless remains confident about his chances and made it clear that winning the award would have significance beyond his personal achievement.

“I really want the Ballon d’Or to return to Real Madrid,” he said.

“It needs to come back to the Bernabéu, to the Madridistas, to return for all those people and so give them something to be excited about. The Real Madrid fans deserve it more than anyone.”

The last Real Madrid player to win the Ballon d’Or was Karim Benzema in 2022.

Mbappé has never claimed the award himself, with his best previous finish coming in 2023 when he placed third.

The Frenchman also spoke positively about Barcelona youngster Lamine Yamal, who is another prominent name in the Ballon d’Or conversation.

“I think he’s a very talented player and I have a feeling he’s going to have a great career,” Mbappé said. “I wish him all the best.”

With the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony approaching, Mbappé will now wait to discover whether his individual performances are enough to bring the trophy back to Madrid.