Kylian Mbappé remains confident about his chances of claiming his first Ballon d’Or, insisting he feels no frustration over having not yet secured the prestigious global honor. Speaking amid a major career transition, the 27-year-old French forward expressed optimism that the upcoming vote could bring his breakthrough moment.
Reflecting on the nature of individual recognition in a team sport, Mbappé noted that while football is inherently collective and offers team trophies to mark overall dominance, the Ballon d’Or uniquely singles out the player who shows exceptional individual merit across major competitions. Although he finished without silverware last season after a fourth-place finish with France at the World Cup and a trophy-less run with Real Madrid, he believes the award should simply go to the single best performer on the pitch. According to “Football is a collective sport, but there are collective trophies to represent that collective supremacy,” he, Sports.
The competition for the award at the October 26 ceremony in London remains stiff. Key contenders alongside Mbappé include Barcelona talent Lamine Yamal and Bayern Munich forward Harry Kane, alongside Lionel Messi, who continues to draw strong support for a potential ninth victory following his World Cup displays for Argentina.
Despite France falling short of retaining the world title, Mbappé achieved personal milestones by becoming the all-time leading goalscorer in World Cup history. He cemented that legacy by scoring his record-breaking 22nd tournament goal during the third-place playoff match against England. Describing the accomplishment as surreal, he remarked that standing alongside the iconic athletes he idolized in his youth at just 27 years old forms a core piece of the legacy he aims to build. According to “It’s something that I couldn’t imagine,” he, About the achievement. “We saw all the greatest players of all time, all the greatest athletes, all the greatest icons that I idolized when I was younger, and to be able. “At the end of the day, it’s part of history, part of the legacy that I want to build.”. It’s just one of the many records Mbappé has broken during his illustrious career that makes it even more surprising that his name has never been written into the Ballon d’Or history books. “Because, as a competitor, you always want to win everything. “At the end of the day, it was an amazing experience for us because I think we gave pleasure to fans all around the world, but we didn’t achieve what we wanted to achieve.
Beyond individual awards, the striker is preparing for a new chapter with the French national team. Following the departure of longtime manager Didier Deschamps after the World Cup, legendary former midfielder Zinedine Zidane has stepped in to take charge of Les Bleus. Marking his first foray into international management after leading Real Madrid to three consecutive Champions League titles, Zidane has already confirmed Mbappé as his team captain as France builds toward the 2030 World Cup. “It’s a new chapter, a new challenge, a new opportunity, and I’m really happy about the situation right now,” Mbappé says.
Mbappé welcomed Zidane’s arrival, acknowledging high expectations while emphasizing that France must refine critical details to reclaim top standing. Refusing to view the recent World Cup run as a failure, he noted that the team delivered memorable performances for global fans while gaining valuable lessons for the future. I think everybody expects a lot from us,” Mbappé says, adding that there are plenty of lessons to learn from the team’s performance in North America this summer.
Off the pitch, Mbappé has ended his nearly two-decade partnership with Nike to sign a new deal with Swiss sportswear brand On, marking the company’s debut in professional soccer. As a global ambassador, Mbappé will collaborate directly with product developers using robotic Lightspray technology to craft a customized boot that he describes as feeling like a second skin. On Co-CEO David Allemann confirmed that the company targets a full commercial launch in 2027, with prototypes potentially appearing sooner during final design testing. Mbappé has also ended a near 20-year relationship with Nike to sign with On – marking the sportswear brand’s first step into the world of soccer. Including On’s Lightspray technology that makes shoes with the help of robots, the Swiss-based company announced this month that Mbappé will become a global ambassador and “work directly with On’s product teams” on footwear and apparel. According to the Frenchman has been heavily involved in developing the “perfect boot” and, He wants it to feel like a “second skin.”. “We do our market entry in 2027, and before that, I don’t know. According to we continue with the last prototyping, so we might get a glimpse at some point,” On-Founder and Co-CEO David Allemann, Sports. Reinforce it where it needs reinforcement, bring flexibility where it needs it, and pretty much build a second skin for your foot, bringing the shortest distance between your foot and the ball, so it’s about how you can spray a shoe in three minutes with a robotic arm that can influence every pixel on that boot.
