"I don't know what's happening this year with him" - Kevin De Bruyne ranks Kylian Mbappe 3rd in his future Ballon d'Or winners list

Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne has ranked PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe in third position among his future Ballon d'Or winners list. The Belgian believes that as things stand at the moment, his current teammate Erling Haaland and Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior both stand a better chance to claim football's most prestigious individual award over the Frenchman.

Kylian Mbappe got a lot shouts to go all the way and clinch the Ballon d'Or award after firing France to the final of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in December. The forward finished as the top scorer of the competition with eight goals to his name, which included an amazing hat-trick against Argentina in the final, which they lost on penalties.

However, over the last couple of months he's received less support as other players appear to have overtaken him in the power rankings. Asked to rank a list of future Ballon d'Or winners consisting of the Frenchman, Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior and Manchester City sharpshooter Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne placed Kylian Mbappe in third position, with Haaland at the top and Vini in the middle.

"Well, first I'm gonna put Erling in there," the Belgian said on Sky Sports. "Uh, I'm gonna put Vini second and now Mbappe.

When asked why he ranked Kylian Mbappe at the bottom of the list, the Cityzens' playmaker explained:

"Because I don't know what's happening this year with him. Yeah no idea you know, I think it's also harder for him to win it in PSG, whatever yeah."

"The rumors, yeah if he goes to Madrid then maybe I'll put him first. And Erling because obviously he's got a chance to win it this year."

The Belgian was then queried on whether he feels Erling Haaland should win the Ballon d'Or this year, to which he replied:

"I think he can, I think he can, but obviously, it's all about perception so in the end there's nothing you can change about that," he added.

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Why Kylian Mbappe deserves Ballon d'Or shouts

The Frenchman was sensational last season

Kylian Mbappe was one of the best players at the World Cup last year and almost single-handedly delivered the iconic trophy for his nation. Scoring a whopping eight goals in seven games at the grandest stage of the sport, including a historic hat-trick in the final against Argentina is no mean feat.

Besides, Mbappe proved his worth at club level and was easily the best player in PSG's squad last season. He finished as Ligue 1's top scorer for the campaign with 29 goals and six assists to his name in 34 appearances. He also had seven goals in eight Champions League games.

This term, the 24-year-old already has one goal to his name in his first appearance for the Parisians. It remains to be seen where he'll be ranked when the final list of the Ballon d'Or contenders is released in a few weeks time.