French forward Kylian Mbappe has finally opened up about his feelings on Lionel Messi winning the 2023 Ballon d’Or. Earlier last month, Messi won his unprecedented eighth Ballon d’Or in Paris. Mbappe and the Manchester City forward Erling Haaland finished third and second respectively. However, while there have been some questions raised about Messi winning the award, Mbappe has no qualms about the decision.
In a recent press conference, Kylian Mbappe was asked to comment on the 2023 Ballon d’Or. As reported by the French news agency L’Equipe, Mbappe believes that Messi was the deserving winner.
He said, “Messi had to win it, he won the World Cup, he’s one of the greatest in history, if not the greatest for me.” The PSG star highlighted how winning the 2022 World Cup helped cement Messi’s claim for the Ballon d’Or.
🚨 Kylian Mbappe on the Ballon d’Or: “Messi had to win it, he won the World Cup, he’s one of the greatest in history, if not the greatest for me.
“Haaland had a great season, me too… but next to winning a World Cup it doesn’t weigh much. On the night of 18th December I knew… pic.twitter.com/wrxRq7jQo7
— All About Argentina 🛎🇦🇷 (@AlbicelesteTalk) November 17, 2023
Mbappe, who was also a contender for the award, also had a terrific World Cup 2022. He scored eight goals in the tournament, one more than Messi, and won the Golden Boot. Moreover, he put on an incredible performance in the final, scoring a hat trick against Messi’s Argentina. He became only the second player to score a hat trick in a World Cup final since Sir Geoff Hurst accomplished this feat back in 1966.
Although several people believed that Erling Haaland should have won the Ballon d’Or. Haaland won the treble with Manchester City, including the UEFA Champions League. He also shattered the Premier League’s goalscoring records. However, for Mbappe, Haaland‘s feats do not weigh much when compared to Messi winning the World Cup.
Kylian Mbappe changed his tune on the Ballon d’Or award
While Kylian Mbappe recently hailed Lionel Messi for winning the Ballon d’Or, he appears to have changed his tune. Mbappe, who shared the pitch alongside Messi for two seasons, has frequently expressed his admiration for the Inter Miami star.
Despite being a fan of Cristiano Ronaldo since his childhood, Mbappe has now changed his loyalties. However, only a few months ago, Mbappe’s stance on the Ballon d’Or was slightly different.
🗣 Kylian Mbappe to @telefoot_TF1 :
“Chances to win the Ballon D’or this season? It is difficult to talk about individual awards but I think I meet the criteria to be in the Ballon d’Or race . I will say yes I can win it”
🤷🏿♂️ pic.twitter.com/auTZEHOA2L
— PSG Chief (@psg_chief) June 20, 2023
Back in June this year, Kylian Mbappe was asked to rate his chances of winning the Ballon d’Or. While the debate about the award was between Messi and Haaland, Mbappe felt that he also had a fair chance to bring home the award.
The 24-year-old said, “It is difficult to talk about individual awards, but I think I met the criteria to be in the Ballon d’Or race. I will say yes, I can win it.“
Despite Mbappe’s comments not going down well with the fans, it would be unfair to say that he wasn’t a strong candidate. Similar to Messi and Haaland, Mbappe had more than 60 goal contributions in 2023. He won the Ligue 1 and was voted as the league’s best player and also became the top scorer. In addition to this, he was runners-up with France in the 2022 World Cup and won the Golden Boot.
