Kylian Mbappe gave an interview with 'France Football'. The Frenchman is among the nominess for the Ballon d'Or and he said who he thought would make the final three for the prestigious award. He had no hesitation of including himself in the list together with Real Madrid's Karim Benzema and Sado Mane, now of Bayern Munich, but formerly of Liverpool.
'France Football' given their list of 30 nominees for the Ballon d'Or. Neymar and Messi are not in it so PSG's only representative is Kylian Mbappe.
The Frenchman, who renewed before the end of the 2021-22 season at PSG, delivering Real Madrid a huge blow in the process, talked to 'France Football' about his presence in the prestigious list." "My top 3 for the Ballon d'Or? I'd say Benzema, Mane and I," he stressed.
In any case, he is clear who he thinks should win it: "Benzema is 34, he's just had the season of his life, he won another Champions League... If it were Karim and I didn't win it, I'd stop thinking forever about the Ballon d'Or."
He also had words for Real Madrid, who he was about to join before turning them down. "They are experts at producing Ballon d'or winners. You have to admit it, but the imporant thing is what happens on the pitch. It's not your club who is going to get you the Ballon d'Or, it's you. I'm still convinced I'll be able to win it some day in Paris," Mbappe pointed out.
"Real Madrid know how to do it very well. Almost every year they are able to persuade you that their player is the number one candidate. And although at the beginning they do give it so much attention, for sure when the same thing is said all the time, especially when it's time to vote, it can influence a bit,"·he added.
For Mbappe, few individual titles are more important than this one: "It is indisputable proof that you are the best in the world. For a long time time, there was no debate, it was Messi or Cristiano. For me, the Ballon d'Or is a true measure. You only have to see the list of winners, there are no chears or undeserved winners. You can dispute if they should've won it in that year in particular, but not their quality."
He admitted that there is a clause in his contract which means he will earn a bonus if he wins the prize. "Like any player who has a chance of getting one, but to be honest, if I win it some day, it will be the last thing I think about," he said.
Lastly, he said that it a dream he has always had. "I've wanted to win the Ballon d'Or since I was very young. You must not limit your dreams, you have to think grande. Maybe not many dare to admit it, but I don't mind," Mbappe concluded.