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What's the story?
Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe has stated that winning the UEFA Champions League is more important than winning the Ballon d'Or as he believes lifting the individual award will not guarantee a player a place in history.
In case you didn't know...
The Ballon d'Or is the most coveted individual award in football, with every top player vying for the title at the end of the year. Over the last decade, however, the coveted prize has been duopolised by Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Both hold the record for the most number of wins - five each.
Croatia and Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric broke the cycle when he took home the Ballon d'Or last year, following his exploits in the Champions League and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Mbappe himself was presented with the inaugural Kopa Trophy, an award presented by France Football to the best performing player under the age of 21. The winner is selected by former Ballon d'Or winners and is named after former French football star Raymond Kopa.
The heart of the matter
When asked if he would rather win the Ballon d'Or or the Champions League, Mbappe told ESPN,
"The most important thing is to win the Champions League because you can win the Ballon d’Or and not stay in history.
"You play with 10 players, you don’t play alone. If it was tennis, I would say Ballon d’Or because you play alone.
"Football is a sport that you play with a team and I think if you want to win the Ballon d’Or, you have to win the Champions League.
"You can’t win the Ballon d’Or without the Champions League now, it’s so important in the eyes of the world.
"I want to win the Champions League first. If I can win the Ballon d’Or, okay, but my objective is to win the Champions League first."
What's next?
Lionel Messi and Virgil van Dijk are heavily tipped to be the major contenders for the 2019 Ballon d'Or. While the Barcelona captain ended his scintillating individual season with a Spanish league title, the Liverpool defender concluded his with a Champions League winners medal.
