N’Golo Kante snubs Kylian Mbappe while voting for 3 best France players this year: Reports
N'Golo Kante has reportedly snubbed Kylian Mbappe while voting for the three best French players of the year. The Real Madrid superstar was recently named France Footballer of the Year for the 2023-24 season. It was his fourth time winning the honor, having previously won the award in 2018, 2019 and 2023.
Kylian Mbappe was one of the standouts for Paris Saint-Germain last season, having bagged 44 goals and 10 assists in 48 games across competitions. The 25-year-old also captained his national team to the Euro 2024 semi-finals, defeating juggernauts like Belgium and Portugal. However, they lost to eventual champions Spain.
With 56 points, Kylian Mbappe edged out second-placed William Saliba by just five votes in the final tally for the France Footballer of the Year. AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan stood third.
According to a report by AS, French veteran N'Golo Kante snubbed Kylian Mbappe during the voting process. The Al-Ittihad midfielder opted for William Saliba, Jules Kounde, and Eduardo Camavinga. Karim Benzema also snubbed Mbappe and voted in favor of Eduardo Camavinga, Bradley Barcola, and Warren Zaire-Emery.
During an interview with France Football after being awarded the honor, Kylian Mbappe paid tribute to second-placed William Saliba. According to the Real Madrid superstar, Saliba was equally deserving of the honor. He said (via SPORTbible):
“You have to be fair, William Saliba would also have deserved to win this trophy.”
William Saliba was one of the leaders in the Arsenal backline last season, losing the Premier League to Pep Guardiola's Manchester City by just two points. He kept 18 clean sheets in the Premier League last season and was a part of Premier League Team of the Week twice.
When Kylian Mbappe opened up about snubbing the Real Madrid offer to benefit his brother Ethan
Kylian Mbappe recently shared that he was willing to let go of his dream of playing for Real Madrid to help his brother Ethan Mbappe. The 25-year-old joined Los Blancos in July 2024 as a free agent after much speculation.
The Frenchman was one of the prime targets of the Spanish giants for years and the move finally materialized this year. However, Mbappe claimed that he was willing to stay in PSG if it benefitted his brother Ethan. He told AS:
“That happened. It was what affected me the most. It was Madrid or PSG. And he told me he didn’t want to stay, that it wasn’t normal what they were doing to me."
Mbappe added:
"I told him, ‘If you want to stay, I’ll renew and we’ll stay a little longer.’ I would have given up my dream of Madrid for him, so that nothing happens to him. What’s the point of signing for the best club in the world if you kill your brother’s career."
After Kylian's move to Real Madrid, Ethan Mbappe left the PSG and joined LOSC Lille.