“You have to be fair” - France Footballer of the Year winner Kylian Mbappe says his teammate ‘deserved’ to win award
France Footballer of the Year Kylian Mbappe has named compatriot William Saliba as an equally deserving winner of the honor. 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 also claimed it in 2023, 2019 and 2018.
Kylian Mbappe had a stellar season in 2023-24 with Paris Saint-Germain, scoring 44 goals and 10 assists in 48 games across competitions. He was also the highest scorer in Ligue 1 (27), UEFA Champions League (eight), and Coupe de France (eight).
In terms of collective trophies, his side won the Ligue 1, the Coupe de France, and the Trophée des Champions. He also captained France to the semi-finals of Euro 2024 but they lost against eventual champions Spain.
Arsenal defender William Saliba came second in the vote for France Footballer of the Year while AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan ranked third. Mbappe, who won with 56 points, edged out William Saliba by just five points. Talking about the Arsenal centre-back in an interview with France Football, Mbappe said:
“You have to be fair, William Saliba would also have deserved to win this trophy.” (quote taken via SPORTbible)
William Saliba had a solid season for Arsenal in 2023-24, losing the Premier League to Pep Guardiola's Manchester City by just two points.
The Frenchman was one of the finest defenders in the Premier League, helping keep 18 clean sheets and registering an impressive average of 5.6 balls recovered per game. Additionally, he had a passing accuracy of 93% and was included in the Premier League team of the week twice.
(The abovementioned statistics are taken from Sofascore on December 14, 2024. The site is privately owned and may change the statistics as per its prerogative.)
Carlo Ancelotti provides updates on Kylian Mbappe's injury before match against Rayo Vallecano
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that Kylian Mbappe will not be available for their LaLiga away clash against Rayo Vallecano on December 14. The French superstar picked up an injury during Real Madrid's 3-2 win against Atalanta in the UEFA Champions League on December 10.
During the pre-match conference of Real Madrid's match against Rayo Vallecano, Carlo Ancelotti talked about Kylian Mbappe's injury situation. He said (via Madrid Universal):
“Kylian is not serious, he won’t be here tomorrow, but he will travel to Qatar and there, we will assess the risk. Camavinga is fine. He’s available for tomorrow.”
When asked about the extent of Kylian Mbappe's injury and his recovery process, the Italian tactician said:
“It’s a difficult thing. In the last few breaks he’s been here, resting, working… you don’t know. Fortunately he’ll only be out for a small period and he won’t lose what he’s achieved in recent times.”
A win for Real Madrid at Estadio de Vallecas on December 14 might see them climb above arch-rivals Barcelona to the top of the LaLiga table.