Kylian Mbappe already had a Ballon d’Or nomination in his back pocket by the time he announced himself to the world.
It was at the 2018 World Cup when the highly-touted Frenchman truly came of age as he played a pivotal role in France’s triumph. He claimed the Kopa Trophy off the back of his efforts in Russia, with the overwhelming consensus being Mbappe would end his career as a claimer of multiple Ballons d’Or.
His status as a generation-defining talent is impossible to shift, although Lionel Messi’s continued brilliance and the otherworldly form of Karim Benzema in 2022 means Mbappe’s time in the sun hasn’t quite arrived just yet. The most illustrious of individual successes await the superstar forward.
Mbappe earned his sixth Ballon d’Or nomination in 2023.
The Frenchman made history back in 2017 when he became the youngest Ballon d’Or nominee ever as he earned a mammoth move to PSG that summer. Mbappe had previously starred for a star-studded Monaco side that reached the 2016/17 Champions League semi-finals, scoring in both legs of their round of 16 victory over Manchester City.
Mbappe has been nominated for the award every year since.
Despite his lofty status and unquestionable talent, Mbappe is yet to win the Ballon d’Or. The Frenchman has now excelled at two World Cups, winning the 2018 Kopa Trophy as a result of his heroic campaign in Russia, and scored a bucketload of goals for PSG after joining the club in 2017.
Mbappe has shone in the brightest moments since breaking through at Monaco and is already the most prolific player in PSG’s history, netting 217 times in 263 games, yet he hasn’t really come close to winning the esteemed Ballon d’Or.
Of course, it’s tough to do so while Messi’s still around, but the Frenchman will undoubtedly be disappointed by the relative lack of voter interest thus far. He’s not even made the podium!
Nevertheless, the Parisian superstar certainly isn’t bereft of confidence and despite very few considering him for the 2023 crown, he believes he deserves to be considered a leading contender: “The new criteria [for winning the Ballon d’Or], it’s about burning eyes, it’s someone who has had an impact…I think I correspond to these criteria, so I would say…yes. But we’ll see,” the Frenchman said back in July.
Mbappe certainly has a right to feel that way. Not only did a hat-trick in the World Cup final (the first person to do so since Sir Geoff Hurst in 1966) mean he ended the tournament with the Golden Boot, but he also finished 2022/23 as Ligue 1’s top scorer. He enjoyed an incredible campaign and is regarded by many as the best player the planet has to offer, but that probably won’t be enough to win the 2023 Ballon d’Or. Although, he could make his first podium.
|
Year |
Number of votes/points |
Finish |
|---|---|---|
|
2017 |
48 |
7th |
|
2018 |
347 |
4th |
|
2019 |
89 |
6th |
|
2021 |
58 |
9th |
|
2022 |
85 |
6th |
Mbappe’s best Ballon d’Or performance came in 2018 – his second nomination. While the Frenchman has typically fluttered around the backend of the top ten since his first record-breaking nomination in 2017, he finished fourth in 2018 with 347 votes.
Mbappe was named the Best Young Player at the 2018 World Cup as France lifted the trophy off the back of his breakout tournament. He scored four times in Russia as he went on to lift his first and only Kopa Trophy at the Ballon d’Or ceremony.
While Mbappe topped Lionel Messi in the voting for the main prize, he was beaten out by compatriot Antoine Griezmann, who also enjoyed a stellar World Cup for the final podium spot. Cristiano Ronaldo finished second in voting as World Cup Golden Ball winner Luka Modric finally broke the Messi-Ronaldo Ballon d’Or duopoly.
Since 2018, Mbappe has performed rather disappointingly in the Ballon d’Or voting primarily because of PSG’s underperformance in the Champions League. While the Frenchman himself has often done as much as he can to inspire Les Parisiens to their ultimate goal, their lack of balance and harmony has seen them fall short when faced with the best that Europe has to offer.
The Ballon d’Or was cancelled during the year they reached their only final of the Qatari-backed era so far in 2020 as a result of the Covid pandemic, although it was Neymar who dazzled throughout their knockout stage run in Portugal.
READ MORE ON THE 2023 BALLON D’OR NOMINATIONS AND PREDICTED RANKINGS
Read More: World News | Entertainment News | Celeb News
90Mins
