Mbappé aims for Ballon d’Or after World Cup record

Kylian Mbappé is aiming for his first Ballon d’Or and believes “this could be a good year for me” after breaking a World Cup scoring record.

The France and Real Madrid star spoke to CNN Sports on Wednesday. He said he feels no “frustration” about not winning the award yet, but he does want to add it to his achievements.

“A frustration? No,” he told CNN Sports when asked about never having won it. “Because, as a competitor, you always want to win everything. So at the end of the day, of course you want to win it, every player wants to win it, but we have to wait.”

Mbappé, 27, did not win any trophies with Real Madrid last season. France finished fourth at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. But he had an impressive tournament, scoring his 22nd World Cup goal in the third-place playoff against England. This made him the all-time leading scorer in the competition.

“It’s something that I couldn’t imagine,” he said about this record. “We saw all the greatest players of all time, all the greatest athletes, all the greatest icons that I idolized when I was younger. To be able to be this guy at only 27, it sounds surreal.

“At the end of the day, it’s part of history, part of the legacy that I want to build.”

Mbappé believes he still has a shot at winning the Ballon d’Or. He said the award should focus on individual performance, not just team success. “Football is a collective sport, but there are collective trophies to represent that collective supremacy,” he told CNN Sports.

“When you talk about the Ballon d’Or, you give it to one player. You give it to the best player, and the guy who shows you that he is the best, and every big competition shows something.”

Mbappé is a top contender for the award, alongside Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane. Lionel Messi is also in the running for a record-extending ninth Ballon d’Or due to his performances for Argentina at the World Cup.

The Ballon d’Or ceremony will take place in London on October 26. Mbappé will also enter a new chapter with France under former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane. Zidane took over from Didier Deschamps after the World Cup.

Zidane has confirmed that Mbappé will remain the captain of the France team as they start preparing for the 2030 World Cup. “Another era starting in the national team. We are really happy to have him (Zidane). Let’s see what we’re gonna do. I think everybody expects a lot from us,” Mbappé said.

“We are one of the best teams in the world, everybody saw. But we have to work on the details to be the best in the world, and I think also everybody saw that.

“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. But I cannot say it’s a failure.