Mbappé's mission: bring the Ballon d'Or home to the Bernabéu

Kylian Mbappé has stopped pretending the Ballon d'Or is not on his mind, and he is framing the chase as something bigger than himself.

Details: In an interview with Diario AS, Kylian Mbappé declared that he really wants the Ballon d'Or to return to Real Madrid, insisting it needs to come back to the Bernabéu for the Madridistas, who deserve it more than anyone. The 2026 ceremony takes place on October 26 in Paris.

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The emotional appeal to the Bernabéu is clever politics as much as sentiment. Real Madrid have not produced a Ballon d'Or winner since Karim Benzema in 2022, and Mbappé, still chasing his first, has spent September building his case in public: first declaring that this could finally be his year, then boldly claiming nobody was better than him last season. His arguments are serious: a Golden Boot at the 2026 World Cup with ten goals, 71 career Champions League strikes that this month drew him level with Raúl in fifth place on the all-time list, and a strong start under José Mourinho, including a goal in the 2:1 win over Inter. The obstacle course is formidable: Harry Kane leads the bookmakers after Bayern's record season, Lamine Yamal carries the romance vote, and PSG are now openly campaigning for Dembélé and Kvaratskhelia. But by tying his candidacy to the Madrid fanbase, Mbappé is doing what he does best: turning an individual award into a collective mission.

It's worth noting that Mbappé has finished on the Ballon d'Or podium multiple times without winning, his best result being third place behind Messi and Haaland in 2023.

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