Fresh off a starring role at the World Cup, Kylian Mbappe revealed his five-man Ballon d’Or shortlist, and while the France international found room for his own name, there were two notable omissions.
In a conversation with France Football, the 19-year-old winner of the FIFA Young Player award in Russia pegged Cristiano Ronaldo, Paris Saint-Germain attack associate Neymar, Les Bleus brethren Raphael Varane, and Golden Ball holder Luka Modric for the annual honour.
“To complete it, I think I would put myself in there too,” said Mbappe, who scored four goals in seven World Cup matches – the joint-second-highest total of the tournament.
France teammate Antoine Griezmann and Barcelona deity Lionel Messi, who has been one of three finalists for football’s top individual prize in each of the last 11 years – winning it on five occasions – were not included. The Argentinian and Ronaldo have won the last 10 Ballon d’Or awards, with the Juventus newcomer capturing four of the last five.
Mbappe’s inclusion of Neymar comes on the heels of comments from the Brazilian that conceded a “special …read more