Kylian Mbappe put his own name at the top of the 2026 Ballon d’Or list on Monday, in a preview clip released by RFI ahead of the full interview.
He framed the argument as personal.
“I would be disappointed if I don’t win it. When a competitor doesn’t win, he feels disappointed. My competitive spirit would be hurt.”
The France captain then pointed straight to the scoresheets.
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“I had a great individual year, and I know that is the most important criterion for the Ballon d’Or. I was the top scorer in all competitions.”
It is the second time in a week Mbappe has openly campaigned for the vote. On 17 September he told the Spanish daily AS that the trophy “must return to the Bernabeu, to the Madridistas, that it returns for all these people to give them hope.”
Kane leads the bookmakers
The race Mbappe is trying to bend his way remains genuinely open. Harry Kane is the current market favorite, having scored 61 goals in 51 appearances for Bayern Munich last season on the way to a domestic treble and a second European Golden Shoe.
Barcelona teenager Lamine Yamal is the other name most often listed alongside Mbappe and Kane, after starring for the Barcelona side that dominated La Liga and starting for Spain at the 2026 World Cup. Reigning holder Ousmane Dembele of Paris Saint-Germain, Mbappe’s France teammate, is also on the 30-man shortlist.
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Mbappe’s own strongest card is the summer. He won the Golden Boot at the World Cup with 10 goals, two clear of Lionel Messi, even as Spain lifted the trophy through Rodri, the tournament’s official Player of the Tournament and a 2024 Ballon d’Or winner.
Vote goes to London on 26 October
The 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony takes place on Monday, 26 October at the London Palladium, the first time in the award’s 70-year history that the event has been staged outside Paris. The 30-man shortlist was published by France Football and UEFA on 8 September.
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