Relegated to third place in the 2023 Ballon d’Or hierarchy, Kylian Mbappé may have been harmed by eccentric votes.
Vice-world champion with the Blues a year ago, top scorer in the competition with eight goals – including three in the final against Argentina – Kylian Mbappé could legitimately claim the 2023 Ballon d’Or. However, the majority of votes came back to Lionel Messi, the captain of the sacred Albiceleste, in front of Erling Haaland who also beat the PSG striker to the post, carried by a beautiful hat-trick achieved with Manchester City it is true (Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup).
In the eyes of Didier Deschamps, the leader of the French team – like others – may have found himself wronged by the nature of certain votes, fanciful to say the least. “ Beyond his third place, it was especially certain votes that appealed to me. A jury that didn’t put Messi, Haaland and Mbappé among the 5, I’m not voting for it anymore! His vote is really not very serious », plagues the national coach in an interview with Le Parisien.
Euro 2024 as a springboard
A Didier Deschamps who admits that a victory for France at the Euro this summer “ would allow Kylian Mbappé to be even closer to this goal » what is the Ballon d’Or. However, there is no question of admitting a possible Mbappé-dependence among the Blues. “ When a team is lucky enough to have an extraordinary player, which is our case, it seems normal to me to count on him, right? This is valid for us and for all the other teams. Kylian is extraordinary. So much so that it has been argued that our offensive effectiveness rests on his shoulders alone. If Kylian is very effective, that didn’t stop us from having different scorers. (…) Exceptional players enhance their team. It’s been like this since football existed. Afterwards, Kylian joins a collective and knows very well that he needs others. »
