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Kylian Mbappe believes his historic FIFA World Cup campaign has put him firmly in contention for the Ballon d'Or, with the Real Madrid forward admitting that playing for the Spanish giants naturally brings expectations of individual honours.
Mbappe heads into Real Madrid's Champions League opener against Inter Milan with his stock having risen significantly after a record-breaking summer with France. The 27-year-old claimed the World Cup Golden Boot with 10 goals and took his overall tally in the competition to 22, making him the tournament's all-time leading scorer. "Of course I made a lot of history this summer in the most important competition in sport, 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," Mbappe said, according to Goal.com. Despite France finishing fourth, Mbappe's individual performances have strengthened his case for the prestigious award, which he is yet to win. The French captain said the expectations associated with Real Madrid make discussions about the Ballon d'Or almost inevitable. "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," he added. He further added, "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..." Mbappe, however, acknowledged that there is room for improvement at Real Madrid despite his own prolific scoring form. Comparisons have been drawn between Madrid's attacking setup and the balance achieved by other leading European sides. "We have to improve," admitted Mbappe. "But I could play dumb and tell you that I score more goals than (Dembele and Raphinha), and that they need to score more goals to be like me. Everyone is different, but I want to do things intelligently and say that of course I have to improve and all that, but I don't like comparisons because I think I do a lot of things that others don't do." While individual recognition remains a talking point, Mbappe stressed that team success is more important to him than his personal numbers. "Id happily score only 30 goals if it meant winning trophies," he declared. "Id rather win titles. If I have to choose between the two, Ill take the trophies. But I always want to score goals. I want to do both." With the Champions League campaign now beginning, Mbappe will look to combine his individual form with a successful season for Real Madrid as he continues his pursuit of both collective silverware and the Ballon d'Or. (ANI)
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