2026 Ballon d’Or: Kylian Mbappe could break insane Lionel Messi record

Kylian Mbappe has been backed to win a future Ballon d’Or by current holder Ousmane Dembele, and it would be a historic one for France.

The Real Madrid superstar is currently in the form of his life and playing like a man possessed to finally get his hands on the biggest individual honour in football, which has so far eluded him.

After coming third in the 2023 edition of the Ballon d’Or, the 26-year-old only finished sixth and seventh in the last two iterations, respectively. His 2024 ranking, in particular, caused a significant stir in his native France, while the focus this year was naturally on compatriot Dembele.

The PSG attacker beat Barcelona wonderkid to the 2025 Ballon d’Or, but Dembele has now thrown his weight behind Mbappe to win the Ballon d’Or in the future, perhaps already as early as 2026.

“He deserves it, given the career that he has had,” Dembele said this week. “He’s having a very good start to the season. He just keeps scoring. He’s a friend. I hope he continues like this. And I hope that one day he will win the Ballon d’Or.”

Mbappe could help France break Messi record

On current form, Mbappe will certainly be one of the favourites for next year’s award. The France captain has scored a whopping 15 goals in just 12 appearances so far this term, also providing two assists.

Of course, he will have to carry this form over into 2026 and help Real Madrid win silverware, especially the Champions League. A good performance at the World Cup would also go a long way in aiding his case.

The 26-year-old is certainly France’s biggest hope for the Ballon d’Or right now, and it would see the country overtake Argentina for the most awards in history. Dembele’s success this year took France level with the South American country on eight.

Incredibly, all eight have been won by record-holder Lionel Messi, although it shouldn’t be too surprising that he is the only Argentine to claim it, given that it used to be an exclusively European affair for most of its history.

Raymond Kopa, after whom the Kopa Trophy (Young Player of the Year) is named, won France’s first Ballon d’Or in 1958. It wasn’t until 1983 that the European country again produced a winner when Michel Platini claimed his first of three consecutive victories.

Jean-Pierre Papin won the Ballon d’Or in 1991, and Zinedine Zidane was recognised as the best player in Europe in 1998. 24 years later, in 2022, Karim Benzema broke the Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo duopoly. Dembele joined this illustrious list this year.

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