Kylian Mbappé's Ballon d'Or Hopes Dim After World Cup Loss
Kylian Mbappé went to North America looking like the heir to football’s biggest individual throne. Eight goals, a semi-final, moments of pure devastation in transition – the Real Madrid superstar did just about everything he could to drag France towards another shot at immortality.
It still wasn’t enough.
Spain slammed the door on his World Cup dream, and with it, perhaps, on his Ballon d’Or hopes for another year. For a player of his standing, that is the brutal reality of the modern game: greatness is not just measured in goals, but in glittering trophies held aloft under confetti.
At club level, the picture is no kinder. Real Madrid, for all their firepower and aura, have now gone back-to-back seasons without a major trophy. Mbappé’s personal numbers were, as ever, outrageous. He scored freely, he carried Carlo Ancelotti’s side through long stretches of the campaign, he remained the reference point in every big game. But the cabinet stayed bare.
And that, as Jérémie Aliadière bluntly points out, is where the Ballon d’Or argument starts to crumble.
Mbappé’s brilliance, Messi’s leverage
Speaking to GOAL in association with Betinia NJ, Aliadière did not dress it up when asked whether Mbappé’s wait for a first Ballon d’Or is likely to continue.
“Yeah, I think so,” the former France international said. “I think if he's had a fantastic year in terms of winning something with Real Madrid, then he probably could still be in the running but without winning anything with Madrid…”
He knows the rules of this game as well as anyone. Individual brilliance will get you in the conversation; Champions League and World Cup titles win you the vote.
“Even if on a personal level, I thought he had a great season, scored a ridiculous amount of goals and carried the team for most part of the season,” Aliadière added. “So, individually, he's had a fantastic season but, unfortunately, without winning any trophies we know the rules to be a Ballon d'Or. You've got to win, Champions League or World Cup or Euros.”
By that logic, the spotlight swivels – inevitably, almost wearily – back to Lionel Messi.
At 39, Messi has once again taken Argentina to a World Cup final, once again scoring eight times on the way, once again dictating the rhythm of his national team with that familiar, unhurried authority. He is one game away from defending the crown he claimed in Qatar in 2022. One performance away from a ninth Golden Ball at the tournament and, quite possibly, another Ballon d’Or.
Aliadière can see where the narrative is heading.
“I think it’ll probably be one of Argentina,” he said. “Messi, if he wins it again, I think everybody's just going to be mesmerised by the age and what he's produced at the World Cup and forget that he plays in MLS for Inter Miami.”
MLS stage, same old Messi
That last line cuts to the heart of the Messi paradox. He is no longer in Europe, no longer operating in the Champions League spotlight, yet his grip on the game’s biggest individual award refuses to loosen.
The 2025 campaign in North America only strengthened his case. Messi led Inter Miami to MLS Cup glory and collected MVP honours along the way, sprinkling a league still finding its global place with the kind of genius that has defined an era. The stage is different; the standard of his play, alarmingly familiar.
For Argentina, he has been even more ruthless. England found that out the hard way in Atlanta, beaten in a dramatic semi-final that once again turned on Messi’s ability to bend the biggest nights to his will. Those moments, those knockout punches on the grandest stage, are what voters remember when the ballots arrive.
So when the conversation turns to whether he can pull four clear of Cristiano Ronaldo in the Ballon d’Or count, former MLS midfielder and World Cup winner Kleberson does not hesitate.
“Wow! That guy never stops!” he told GOAL. “Argentina has more chance of winning the World Cup with Messi than any other country, just because Messi is still playing at a good level.”
Kleberson sees a clear divide between Messi’s environment and Ronaldo’s.
“It’s different from Ronaldo. He is still playing at a level, but the players around Ronaldo, it’s not the same as Messi has with Argentina. It’s purity. What Portuguese players have and Argentine players have is completely different. That’s why Messi has a lot of chance.”
Then comes the line that sums up the mood around this World Cup and this Ballon d’Or race.
“If he goes and wins the World Cup, 100 per cent he’s going to be up to win the Ballon d’Or again. He’s brilliant. Even Brazilian players and fans look at him and want to see good players win the Ballon d’Or and the World Cup - players that are a joy to see play. Messi is one of those.”
Kane, the nearly man; Mbappé, the waiting heir
The fallout stretches beyond Mbappé. Harry Kane, too, slips into the category of what might have been.
Aliadière admits the England captain could have forced his way into the Ballon d’Or reckoning had England gone “all the way”. Kane’s goal record, his influence, his consistency – all of it pointed towards a serious tilt at the prize. The margins at international level are unforgiving. England fell short. So did Kane’s candidacy.
For Mbappé, the frustration cuts deeper. He is supposed to be the one breaking records, the man to rip the Ballon d’Or away from the old guard and start his own era of dominance. Eight goals at a World Cup, the spearhead of Real Madrid, the poster boy of his generation – and yet, when the dust settles, the familiar silhouette of Messi still looms over the ceremony.
The Frenchman’s time may still come. His numbers demand it, his talent screams it. But as long as Messi keeps dragging Argentina to finals and stacking trophies in MLS, the “Galactico” in Madrid may have to keep waiting his turn.
Because while Mbappé chases the game’s biggest nights, Messi, at 39, is still owning them.
