I surpassed Messi — Mbappe states why he deserves Ballon d'Or over Kane, Rodri

Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé has publicly claimed he deserves to win the 2026 Ballon d'Or, pointing directly to his historic individual exploits at the summer's FIFA World Cup.

The 27-year-old French captain made his case during a media availability on September 7, arguing that the award's criteria should prioritise individual excellence over collective trophies.

This year's Ballon d'Or race is widely considered unpredictable due to the lack of a single unanimous standout.

Prominent candidates include Barcelona's Rodri, who won the World Cup with Spain and secured the Golden Ball, and the PSG duo Ousmane Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who lifted the Champions League.

Despite finishing the 2025/26 campaign without a single piece of major silverware under manager Xabi Alonso/Alvaro Arbeloa, Mbappé argued that a lack of club titles should not disqualify his individual brilliance.

"Who do I vote for for the Ballon d'Or? FOR ME," Mbappé stated. "It's an individual trophy. We look at what the player has done individually."

He added: "Has there already been someone who won the Ballon d'Or with 100% of the votes? No. So that means there's always someone who thought he didn't deserve it."

The primary foundation of Mbappé's argument rests on his unprecedented individual scoring output during the 2026 World Cup in North America.

The forward registered a tournament-leading 10 goals in seven appearances, guiding France to a fourth-place finish following a 6-4 defeat to England in the third-place playoff.

In the process, he secured his second consecutive Golden Boot and officially surpassed Lionel Messi to become the all-time leading goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history with 22 total tournament goals.

"Being the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history is something that burns into your memory," Mbappé explained.

"Finishing as the top scorer in all the most important competitions where all the best players play, I don't know if that's ever been achieved."

At club level, the forward also claimed his second successive Pichichi Trophy, recording 42 goals in 44 appearances across all competitions for Real Madrid last season.

"When you look at the arguments, when you look at the competition... I look, and I tell myself that yeah... it wouldn't be stolen," he concluded.

Additionally, Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has also used media appearances to push Mbappe's candidacy, insisting only special footballers should receive the award.