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Former Real Madrid ace Luis Figo has provided an explanation as to why he thinks Kylian Mbappe will not win the Ballon d'Or this year. The Frenchman enjoyed a mixed debut season with the Spanish giants as they failed to claim any major silverware despite his personal achievements.
One-time Ballon d'Or winner Figo spoke with AS about a number of topics involving his former club, touching on this year's Ballon d'Or contenders. He ruled out star forward Mbappe from the running for the award, pointing to his failure to lead his side to major honours as a reason.
"Things weren't so great at first, but he's done well since then. He's scored a lot of goals and has adapted to playing for Real Madrid, which is totally different from playing for any other team. What could rule him out for individual trophies is his lack of major team titles, but we'll see what happens. He's a name that's always on the lists of the best in the world, there's no doubt about it."
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Kylian Mbappe completed a move to Real Madrid in the summer of 2024, joining as a free agent after leaving Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). The 26-year-old helped his side win the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Intercontinental Cup in his first few months but faced struggles that led to questions over his suitability to the club.
Mbappe ended his debut season very strongly, scoring 43 goals across all competitions for the Spanish giants. His goals included 31 in LaLiga, enough to see him beat Robert Lewandowski to the Pichichi and win a first-ever European Golden Shoe.
Despite starring for France in their UEFA Nations League Finals campaign earlier this month, Kylian Mbappe is behind the likes of Ousmane Dembele and Lamine Yamal in the running for the Ballon d'Or. He is expected to be among the nominees when the list is revealed in August.
When French football expert rubbished Ballon d'Or hopes of Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe
French football expert and journalist Jonathan Johnson categorically stated that Real Madrid ace Kylian Mbappe stands no chance of winning the Ballon d'Or in May. This came after the forward helped Real Madrid finish second in LaLiga, winning the European Golden Shoe in the process.
Johnson spoke on the Ensemble PSG podcast (via GOAL) last month, pointing out that the France international is not among the leading contenders for the award. He went on to point out that he wouldn't be surprised by the 'nonsense' if the forward won the award based on a good FIFA Club World Cup campaign.
"I think, specific to Mbappe and Real Madrid’s situation, it would be ridiculous for Mbappe’s Ballon d’Or weight to hinge solely on scoring a handful of goals and helping them win the Club World Cup. But there’s a lot of nonsense in modern football, unfortunately. I’m not going to say it will happen, but I wouldn’t totally rule out some stupidity like that either."
Kylian Mbappe has yet to feature for Xabi Alonso's side at the Club World Cup this summer due to illness, missing games against Al-Hilal and Pachuca. He could return for the final group game against Salzburg and look to help his side win the tournament.
