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Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe has revealed his preference between winning the UEFA Champions League with Los Blancos and the Ballon d’Or. The Frenchman moved to Spain as a free agent last summer and has hit the ground running since his arrival.
Mbappe is gearing up to lead the line for his side in their Champions League quarterfinals against Arsenal this month. The forward has yet to taste success in the competition, coming closest with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) when they finished as runners-up to Bayern Munich (1-0) in 2020.
In an interview with La Sexta TV, the 26-year-old pointed out that winning the Ballon d’Or is not as important to him as winning the Champions League. He opined that winning the competition will earn him a place in Real Madrid history, unlike the Ballon d'Or, which is an individual honour.
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“Ballon d’Or or Champions League? Ballon d’Or is an individual thing. I always said that playing for Real Madrid is the most important part of my career, so winning a Champions League with Real Madrid, the best club in the world, is becoming part of the history of the best club in the world, and there is nothing better than that," Mbappe said (via Madrid Xtra's X handle).
Mbappe has been in impressive form this term and is regarded as one of the frontrunners to win the individual award in 2025. The former PSG man has registered 32 goals and four assists in 46 appearances for Los Blancos this season, leading the club for goals scored.
Kylian Mbappe has received seven Ballon d'Or nominations, the first of which came when he was a teenager in 2017. He was the youngest nominee for the award until Lamine Yamal arrived on the scene. Mbappe has finished in the top three once, in 2023 (Lionel Messi won).
Juventus great ignores Kylian Mbappe in Ballon d’Or prediction
Juventus great Paolo Di Canio has overlooked Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe while selecting his 2025 Ballon d'Or winner. The France international is one of the leading names, with his chances boosted significantly by his move to Los Blancos.
Di Canio opined in an interview with FootItalia that if the season were to end today, he would tip Mohamed Salah to win the award. Di Canio said this was an easy decision for him, given the form the Liverpool ace is in this season.
He said (via TribalFootball):
"From my point of view, if we stop the season now, of course, there is no doubt for me, Salah would win the Ballon d'Or, Golden Ball, Salah easy."
Salah has likely lost ground in the race for the award, as Liverpool were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League in the Round of 16 by Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
