MADRID – Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe said on Sept 7 that it was natural for people to consider him as a potential Ballon d’Or winner in 2026 after his World Cup exploits.

The France captain scored 10 goals at the tournament this summer to win the Golden Boot, with his country finishing fourth, and has netted 22 in the competition during his career, making him the World Cup’s all-time top scorer.

Mbappe, 27, has not yet won the prestigious trophy given to the world’s best player.

“I think that when you play for Real Madrid, which is the best club in the world, naturally people associate you with that kind of award, they associate you with collective awards, individual awards,” Mbappe told reporters.

“A lot of people, when they see me in the street, talk to me about the Ballon d’Or, a lot of people talk about me as a possible Ballon d’Or winner... Of course I made a lot of history this summer in the most important competition in sports, but we’ll see.

“I have the feeling that it’s a good year for that, but there’s still a long time to go and people are free to vote for whoever they think is the best player in the world.”

Since joining Real Madrid in 2024, Mbappe has scored huge quantities of goals, but the club has failed to win a major trophy.

On Sept 8, the record 15-time European champions will host Inter Milan in the Champions League in the first match of the league phase.

During Mbappe’s first two years at Madrid the team has appeared unbalanced, with t...