Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe has acknowledged that speculation about him winning the Ballon d'Or this year is natural, given his historic performance at the recent World Cup. The French captain secured the Golden Boot with 10 goals during the tournament, where his nation ultimately finished fourth. His World Cup career total now stands at 22 goals, establishing him as the competition's all-time leading scorer.

Mbappe, 27, who has yet to claim the prestigious award for the world's best player, commented on the public perception surrounding his potential candidacy. "I think that when you play for Real Madrid, which is the best club in the world, naturally people associate you with that kind of award, they associate you with collective awards, individual awards," he told reporters.

He added that many people express their belief in him as a potential Ballon d'Or winner when they meet him. While acknowledging his significant achievements in the sport's most important competition, Mbappe stressed that the final decision rests with the voters. "I have the feeling that it’s a good year for that, but there’s still a long time to go, and people are free to vote for whoever they think is the best player in the world."

Since his move to Real Madrid in 2024, Mbappe has consistently scored a high volume of goals, but the club has yet to secure any major trophies during his tenure. On Tuesday, the club is set to host Inter Milan in their opening Champions League group stage match.

During Mbappe's first two seasons in Madrid, the team has been perceived by some as unbalanced, with several star players, including Mbappe and Vinicius Junior, reportedly not contributing enough to the collective effort. This contrasts with the performances of players like Ousmane Dembele at Paris Saint-Germain and Raphinha at Barcelona.

"We have to improve," Mbappe admitted, while also defending his individual approach. "Everyone is different, but I want to do things intelligently and say that of course I have to improve and all that, but I don’t like comparisons because I think I do a lot of things that others don’t do."

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has previously suggested he would prefer Mbappe to score fewer goals if it meant contributing more to team victories. Mbappe stated his willingness to accept lower goal tallies in exchange for titles, but argued that scoring goals and winning trophies are not mutually exclusive objectives. "I’d take 30 goals with titles, yes, but… for me it’s an absurd debate. I always want to score goals and win titles … you don’t have to choose, you can do both things."

The forward's comments come as he prepares to embark on another Champions League campaign, an arena where he hopes to add major team honors to his growing individual accolades, including his recent World Cup scoring record.