"I want to win it very soon" - Kylian Mbappe comments on Ballon d'Or
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and France superstar Kylian Mbappe has expressed his desire to win the Ballon d'Or in the near future.
Mbappe shot to prominence after helping AS Monaco beat PSG to the Ligue 1 title in 2016-17. He scored 28 goals and provided 14 assists from 46 appearances across all competitions for the French club that season.
The forward's career has since been on a constant rise as he secured a transfer to PSG that summer. The Parisians signed him on an initial loan deal before paying a whopping €180 million to make the move permanent.
This summer saw European champions Real Madrid compete with PSG to acquire Mbappe's services. The France international, though, eventually put pen to paper on a new deal with the Ligue 1 giants.
Mbappe has scored 171 goals and provided 88 assists from 217 matches in all competitions for PSG, helping them win the league four times. He also helped France win the FIFA World Cup in 2018.
At 23 years of age, the Frenchman has already established himself as one of the best players in the world. He now intends to strengthen his position by winning the prestigious Ballon d'Or award.
Mbappe has admitted that he has set his eyes on winning the Ballon d'Or soon. He also suggested that he is keen to claim the accolade multiple times by stressing how difficult it is to earn the 'first'. He told France Football [via GFFN]:
"I want to win the Ballon d’Or very soon. Like many. Except that there are perhaps not many who dare to admit it. I’m still convinced that the hardest thing is to win the first.”
Mbappe finished in the top ten 10 of the Ballon d'Or rankings in each of its last four editions. However, he considers himself as a 'serious candidate' to win the award now. He said:
“I think that my 18-21 year old period allowed me to stabilize in the Top 10. I wasn’t an impactful enough player. For the last two years, I think I have reached a new level, I have a more assertive status on the pitch, I am doing better in the decisive matches. In short, I am a more credible and serious candidate.”
Kylian Mbappe named in 30-man shortlist for 2022 Ballon d'Or
France Football announced the 30-man shortlist for the prestigious award on Friday (August 12). Unsurprisingly, Kylian Mbappe has made the cut, alongside several other superstars of world football.
#BallonDor 
@nunomendes_25 @kady944 @MarieKatoto 📣 #BallonDor
@KMbappe parmi les nommés 👏 https://t.co/er72YIOHqu
Kylian Mbappe scored 39 goals and provided 26 assists from 46 matches across all competitions for PSG last term. He also helped the club reclaim the Ligue 1 title from Lille.
Seven-time winner Lionel Messi, though, has missed out on a place on the 30-man shortlist. The Argentinean has failed to make the list for the first time since 2005.