France captain Kylian Mbappé remained calm when questioned about his prospects of winning the Ballon d’Or.
“I’m not the one who gives it out,” Kylian Mbappé said, referring to the Ballon d’Or, pointing out that the decision lies in the hands of around 100 journalists. He added that the Golden Shoe is the only award he can truly control, saying, “because that depends on my feet.”
Despite being widely regarded as a top contender for football’s most prestigious individual honour, the Ballon d’Or, Kylian Mbappé stayed humble. “If I win it, great. If not, I’ll be fine,” he added.
Mbappé’s composed comments come at a time of mounting anticipation, following a standout season and his high-profile move to Real Madrid.
The new Real Madrid forward marked a milestone by scoring his 50th goal for France, then provided the assist for the second as Les Bleus bounced back from a sluggish start to defeat host nation Germany 2–0 in the third-place play-off.
Aurelien Tchouameni, also of Real Madrid, teed up Mbappé for the opener just before halftime, after Germany had largely controlled the first 45 minutes. Mbappé returned the favor late in the game, setting up substitute Michael Olise in the 84th minute to seal the win after a much sharper second-half display from the French side.
