"Will finally win the Ballon d’Or if he goes to Real Madrid" - Ronaldo Nazario backs 25-year-old star to win prestigious award if he joins Los Blancos
Former Real Madrid superstar Ronaldo Nazario named a specific player that he wants to see join the Galacticos and win the Ballon d'Or. This player is no other than Paris Saint-Germain megastar Kylian Mbappe, who appears to be on his way to sign with the Merengues.
"We have to wait until it’s official, but everyone is excited about Kylian Mbappé in Madrid. I think he will finally win the Ballon d’Or if he goes to Real Madrid," the former Brazilian striker said in an interview with the Daily Mail, via Madrid Universal.
Kylian Mbappe is set to part ways with the French club at the end of the season and is in advanced talks to move to Madrid in the summer. The Madrid club had been pursuing the French superstar for quite a long time and the deal should become official soon.
Mbappe has never won the Ballon d'Or even after having impressive achievements. He played in the UEFA Champions League Final in 2020, and he won the FIFA World Cup with the national team of France in 2018. He also reached the Final in 2022 but lost to Argentina.
Ronaldo Nazario 1 of the 8 Real Madrid players to claim Ballon d'Or
Ronaldo Nazario has gone down in football history as one of the best strikers of all time. His illustrious career with Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Milan, and Barcelona was derailed by injuries, but still, he was one of the best strikers to ever play in Europe.
Back in 2002 when he signed with the Merengues, Ronaldo Nazario won the Ballon d'Or award for the second time in his career. The first one was back in 1997 when he was playing for Inter.
In 2002, the former Brazil striker became the fourth Real Madrid player to claim the prestigious award, joining Alfredo Di Stefano (1957, 1959), Raymond Kopa (1958), and Luis Figo (2000). After that, Fabio Cannavaro (2006), Cristiano Ronaldo (2013, 2014, 2016, 2017), Luka Modric (2018), and Karim Benzema (2022) also won the Ballon d'Or with Los Blancos.
Ronaldo is now hopeful that once Kylian Mbappe moves to Spain, he will become the ninth Real player to win the Ballon d'Or award.
For the time being, the Spanish giants focus on the finale of the season, currently being seven points on top of La Liga standings and in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League.