The list of 30 players nominated for the Ballon d'Or was unveiled on Friday by France Football and, unsurprisingly, Kylian Mbappé is part of the selection.
Even if Karim Benzema seems favorite to win this distinction (which will not take into account the performance at the World Cup), the Paris SG striker dreams of a first coronation.
At 23, the player does not hide his ambitions for this trophy which has made him dream since childhood.
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In an interview with France Football, Mbappé however recognizes with lucidity that his compatriot at Real Madrid is best placed to win the timpani, with Mané, and himself.
“
Hardly.
He is 34 years old, has just had the season of his life, wins a new Champions League by often being decisive... In place of Karim, if I don't win there, I stop thinking about the Ballon d'Or forever. 'Gold
,' explained the striker, who spoke at length about the relationship that players have with this distinction.
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Not everyone necessarily admits it, but the Ballon d'Or is in the minds of many football stars.
An obsession, even for some, who cleverly hide their impatience to know the results.
“
Of course it's a big lie.
(He giggles.) Maybe it's also because people aren't ready to hear a player say, "I'm really in a hurry to get the Ballon d'Or results because I have a real chance of winning. 'have this year'.
This honesty, I think it would go wrong.
We would take that for pretension or arrogance
, ”says the striker who publicly acknowledges his desire to one day lift the reward weighing 7.2 kilograms.
We are in total hypocrisy because all football lovers, when the results approach, only think about that, but we, the players, would not have the right to think about it publicly?
Kylian Mbappe
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“
We are in total hypocrisy because all football lovers, when the results approach, only think about that, but we, the players, would not have the right to think about it publicly?
At one point, Cristiano, he assumed.
But it wasn't going too well.
So everyone camouflages their impatience and their ambitions for an individual trophy in order to avoid looking proud.
We talk about collective, team, and people are happy when you answer on the side.
It's weird, but it's a little game that has nothing malicious and participates in the mystery of the trophy.
"He thinks about it or not, him?", He explains before acknowledging that ending his career without a Ballon d'Or in his trophy cabinet, would be experienced as "
a frustration
".
"
A Ballon d'Or, it weighs down your legacy, it enlarges your footprint.
But if I'm a three-time world champion and European club champion, I don't think anyone will come to me and tell me that my career will have been a failure because I didn't get the Ballon d'Or. .
I will just have a taste of unfinished because this dream could not have come to fruition.
The main thing will be to switch to the next ones…
”, concludes the Parisian star.
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