Mbappe’s Ballon d’Or bid faces a three-way challenge

Kylian Mbappe remains one of the leading contenders for his first Ballon d’Or, but a lack of team honours, questions over consistency and a growing rivalry with Ousmane Dembele have made the contest far less certain.

The winner will be announced at a ceremony in London in the coming weeks. Mbappe’s first season with Real Madrid produced no major collective trophy, yet his individual campaign was exceptional. He finished as the top scorer in La Liga and the Champions League before making history last summer by becoming the leading goalscorer in World Cup history.

Those achievements have not settled the debate. Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League triumph and Spain’s World Cup victory have significantly changed the shape of the race, strengthening the claims of players whose seasons included major honours as well as strong personal performances.

Lamine Yamal is now viewed as Mbappe’s most serious challenger. The Barcelona winger has said on several occasions that he believes he deserves the award, and his case is supported by both statistics and trophies.

Yamal helped Barcelona win La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup, while also playing a central role in Spain’s World Cup success. He is no longer regarded simply as an emerging talent, but as a direct rival to Mbappe for the game’s most prestigious individual prize.

The field also includes high-profile candidates such as Rodri Hernandez, Ousmane Dembele, who won the Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and England striker Harry Kane, who ended the season as Europe’s leading goalscorer.

Three obstacles for Mbappe

French journalist Arthur Perrot, of RMC Sport, says this year’s voting is more open than ever. He told BBC Sport: “There are many outstanding players competing for the award, and Mbappe is undoubtedly one of them. He made history this summer by becoming the leading goalscorer in World Cup history and produced an exceptional performance with Real Madrid, but he faces three main obstacles that could deny him his dream.”

The first is the absence of team trophies. Ballon d’Or voters do not reward goalscorers alone; they also place considerable importance on players who lead their teams to titles. Mbappe’s failure to do so this season could prove significant.

The second is consistency. Despite his remarkable numbers, Mbappe has been criticised for not maintaining the same level throughout the campaign as Yamal and Dembele, who sustained their influence in important and decisive matches.

The third, and most complicated, is the French contest within the wider race. Dembele, a former friend and international team-mate, has emerged strongly after a historic season with Paris Saint-Germain.

French media have reported on conversations between the two players. Mbappe publicly described himself as the strongest candidate and said he deserved the Ballon d’Or. Dembele responded that he had also worked hard for the award and deserved recognition, despite not initially being among the leading favourites.

The exchange created visible confusion and tension between them, a situation that has not been fully resolved and has extended into the France camp. Mbappe has the individual credentials, but the award may ultimately be decided by trophies, consistency and relationships on and off the pitch.