Kylian Mbappé considers he should have won the 2018 Ballon d’Or | OneFootball

Kylian Mbappé (26) considers he should have won the 2018 Ballon d’Or, according to a report from L’Equipe. The Real Madrid centre-forward seemed to have found his groove back before the winter break under the tutelage of Carlo Ancelotti, winning the FIFA Intercontinental Cup. This season, the former PSG striker made a commendable start to life with Los Merengue, with 14 goals in all competitions, which made the Italian manager say that his adjustment period was over in the Spanish capital.

The second half of the 2024-2025 campaign will prove to be a long one for Mbappé, who will take part in the brand new FIFA Club World Cup with Real Madrid and probably the UEFA Nations League Final Four, should France defeat Croatia in the two-legged quarterfinals. L’Equipe mentions that Mbappé knows that, should he lead Real Madrid and France to glory, he will be a serious candidate to win the Ballon d’Or.

The outlet mentions that Mbappé privately confesses he feels he should have won the 2018 Ballon d’Or, which was scooped by Luka Modric with the Croatian midfielder leading Real Madrid to their 13th Champions League title and the nation he captained to the World Cup final. Mbappé eventually finished fourth in the standings.

Mbappé also considers he was a penalty shoot-out away from winning the 2022-2023 Ballon d’Or, making a reference to the 2022 World Cup final France lost to penalties against Lionel Messi’s Argentina. Mbappé finished third in the standings, behind Messi and Erling Haaland.

GFFN | Bastien Cheval