Ballon d’Or 2025: What Kylian Mbappé refuses to hear after Rodri’s triumph

Kylian Mbappé Makes a grand return to France and sets the record straight on the 2025 Ballon d’Or.

After a difficult autumn, Kylian Mbappé is back at Clairefontaine with the French national team, six months after his last appearance against Belgium. Between controversies over his trip to Sweden and harsh criticism directed at him at the end of the year, the 26-year-old forward has endured a tough period. However, with great determination, the Bondy-born star has managed to turn things around and arrives in France to play in the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals as the captain of the national team. With 20 goals in La Liga and Real Madrid still in the hunt for a historic treble, KM9 is now considered one of the leading contenders for the 2025 Ballon d’Or.

Mbappé speaks out on the Ballon d’Or

When discussing the Ballon d’Or, Kylian Mbappé did not hold back in his interview with Le Parisien. Asked about the chances of Ousmane Dembélé (PSG), the other Frenchman currently shining and also in the race for France Football’s prestigious award, Real Madrid’s No. 9 was very clear: logic can no longer be relied upon when it comes to this increasingly questionable honour.

“What even is a Ballon d’Or? Rodri—do you consider him a Ballon d’Or winner? I thought it would go to Vini Jr, but in the end, it was Rodri. If I had told you that three months ago, you would have said: ‘What are you talking about?’ Nowadays, we have no idea who will win the Ballon d’Or. All we know is that no one should be ruled out, that every player deserves recognition—maybe even a goalkeeper,” the French star said after completing his first training session with the national team on Monday.

The message is clear. For Rodri, Mbappé’s comments will not go down well. It is worth remembering that Mbappé is not the only high-profile player to question the Manchester City midfielder’s Ballon d’Or win. Back in France after scoring a brilliant brace for Real Madrid in La Liga against Villarreal, the Bondy-born forward now sets his sights on leading his country in the UEFA Nations League—and, of course, the highly anticipated Champions League quarter-final showdown against Croatia on 20 and 23 March.