‘Every player wants to win it’: Kylian Mbappé eyes first Ballon d’Or award
By Ben Church, Amanda Davies, Aleks Klosok, CNN
(CNN) — Soccer superstar Kylian Mbappé says there is no “frustration” over not yet winning a Ballon d’Or – an annual award given to the world’s best player – but tells CNN Sports that this “could be a good year for me.”
Mbappé did not win any silverware last season – often a huge factor in the decision-making process – finishing fourth at the World Cup with France and failing to win a trophy with Real Madrid.
But speaking to CNN Sports amid a new sponsorship deal with sportswear brand On, he says he still has a chance of winning, arguing that the award should be given to the best individual player.
“Football is a collective sport, but there are collective trophies to represent that collective supremacy,” he tells CNN Sports.
“When you talk about the Ballon d’Or, you give it to one player, so 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’s two biggest contenders for this year appear to be Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal and Bayern Munich star Harry Kane. There is also support for Lionel Messi to win it for a record-extending ninth time, mainly due to his performances for Argentina at the World Cup.
And although falling just short of winning a second World Cup trophy with France, Mbappé also had a tournament to remember.
The 27-year-old became the World Cup’s all-time top scorer, netting a record-breaking 22nd goal during the third-place playoff against England.
“It’s something that I couldn’t imagine,” he says 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 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.”
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.
“A frustration? No,” he tells CNN Sports 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.”
New era for France
But regardless of who wins the award at the ceremony in London on October 26, this will still be a big year for the striker – especially with the national team.
Legendary France boss Didier Deschamps stepped down from his role following the World Cup, meaning Mbappé will have to get used to a new national team coach for the first time.
Replacing Deschamps is none other than Zinedine Zidane, arguably the greatest player to ever suit up for Les Bleus.
Zidane – who oversaw a dynasty at Real Madrid, winning three consecutive Champions League titles, but who is taking charge of an international team for the first time – has already confirmed Mbappé will be his captain as the country looks to start a new cycle ahead of the next men’s World Cup in 2030.
“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 says, adding that there are plenty of lessons to learn from the team’s performance in North America this summer.
“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.”
Signing for On
It’s not just a new era starting with the national team, though. 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.
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, including On’s Lightspray technology that makes shoes with the help of robots.
“It’s a new chapter, a new challenge, a new opportunity, and I’m really happy about the situation right now,” Mbappé says.
“I think it’s also part of a moment in my life that I wanted to change, an evolution as a person, as a player … but as a person also, I wanted something different. I wanted it to be at the start of a journey to build a legacy, completely build the legacy and it was the perfect opportunity for me.”
The Frenchman has been heavily involved in developing the “perfect boot” and says he wants it to feel like a “second skin.”
But when can fans expect to see Mbappé in his new design?
“We do our market entry in 2027, and before that, I don’t know. We continue with the last prototyping, so we might get a glimpse at some point,” On-Founder and Co-CEO David Allemann tells CNN Sports.
“For us, this is an opportunity to bring in innovation. Kylian spoke about it: It’s about the details. 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, 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. We see it as an opportunity.”
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