“On the night of the World Cup final, I knew he had won” - Kylian Mbappe gives classy response on losing 2023 Ballon d’Or to Lionel Messi

Kylian Mbappe says he knew Lionel Messi was going to win the 2023 Ballon d'Or when Argentina beat France in the final of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The Argentine superstar was crucial in his team's third-ever World Cup win, scoring seven times and laying out three assists in seven games. He won the Golden Boot for his efforts and arguably became the favorite for the Ballon d'Or in the process.

Mbappe scored a hat-trick in the final as the match ended 3-3 A.E.T. La Albiceleste prevailed in penalties, with the French center-forward taking home the Golden Boot award for his eight goals in the tournament.

Messi won his record-extending Ballon d'Or award last month, finishing ahead of Erling Haaland and Mbappe, who finished second and third, respectively. Speaking on his former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) teammate's win, the 24-year-old Frenchman said (h/t Voetbalnieuws.nl):

"It doesn't bother me that the prize has eluded me. Messi deserves it. On the night of the World Cup final, I knew he had won both the World Cup and the Ballon d'Or. I had a great season, just like Haaland, but when you win the World Cup that makes [the] difference."

Messi recorded 21 goals and 20 assists in 41 games for the French giants last term. He switched to Inter Miami this summer, where he won the Leagues Cup and finished the campaign with 11 goals and five assists in 14 games across competitions.

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Kylian Mbappe had better numbers for PSG last season than Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi

Both Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe won the Ligue 1 title last season with PSG. Although the former played in a rather reserved role as compared to the latter in attack, Mbappe's numbers were still considerably better.

The former AS Monaco forward ended the 2022-23 campaign with a staggering 41 goals and 10 assists in 43 club matches. He started the current season in fine form as well, netting 15 times in as many games for Les Parisiens across competitions.

This year was the first time that Mbappe finished on the Ballon d'Or podium. Unfortunately for Mbappe, winning the 2018 FIFA World Cup wasn't enough to bag the prestigious award five years ago, as Luka Modric was voted the winner.

With Lionel Messi in the MLS and Cristiano Ronaldo at the twilight of his career, Erling Haaland could be Mbappe's rival for the award in the coming years. The Norwegian stood a real chance to win the award this year itself, having scored 52 times in 53 games last season as Manchester City won a historic treble.