"I don't think Kylian's campaign has been very effective." That's Pascal Ferré talking — the man who ran France Football and oversaw the Ballon d'Or from 1996 to 2023. When he speaks on this award, it's worth listening.
Ferré told MARCA that Mbappé's high-profile media push — a string of interviews making the case for his own candidacy — has landed with a thud among the jury. "From what I've heard from some of the jurors I'm still in contact with, these things have no influence whatsoever," he said. "They're completely independent, experienced people, and they don't need to know why they're voting for one or the other."
He also admitted he wouldn't have voted for Mbappé himself, "even though he's a fantastic player."
The club trophy problem
The reasoning is hard to argue with. Mbappé topped the scoring charts in La Liga, the Champions League, and the 2026 World Cup — where he became the tournament's all-time leading scorer, surpassing every name in the history books. That's an extraordinary individual haul. But Real Madrid won nothing domestically, and Mbappé finished the World Cup on the losing side.
"It seems strange to me to be the best player in the world without winning anything this season," Ferré said. "Football is still a sport of collective expression."
He has a point. The last player to win the Ballon d'Or without club silverware was Cristiano Ronaldo in 2013. The award tends to reward winners, not just scorers.
Who's ahead of him in the market
Bookmakers currently have Mbappé third in the betting, behind Harry Kane and Lamine Yamal. Kane's season at Bayern was borderline absurd — 73 goals in 65 matches, the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal in the cabinet, and the first player since Messi in 2011-12 to clear 70 goals in a single season. Yamal won La Liga with Barcelona and a World Cup with Spain, and was named La Liga Player of the Year. Both have the team trophies that Mbappé lacks.
The ceremony is set for October 26 in London. Results typically leak before the gala itself. Mbappé made history this summer — he just may not get the gold to go with it.
