Kylian Mbappe has said he deserves to be one of the candidates to win the 2023 Ballon d’Or award.
After scoring the winner for France in their 1-0 victory over Greece on Monday, Mbappe became the best French scorer over a season with 54 goals for club and country, surpassing the mark set by Just Fontaine in 1957-58.
Mbappe, 25, helped Paris Saint-Germain retain the Ligue 1 title this year and also impressed at the World Cup by winning the Golden Boot and scoring a hat trick in the final against eventual winners Argentina.
When asked about whether he should be considered for this year’s Ballon d’Or, Mbappe told TF1: “It’s always difficult to talk about an individual trophy, because you have to put yourself forward on your own and that’s something that doesn’t necessarily pass in the eyes of the general public.
“The new criteria, it’s about burning eyes, it’s someone who has had an impact … I think I correspond to these criteria, so I would say…yes. But we’ll see.”
The PSG forward will be competing with Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland for this year’s prize.
Messi was named the best player at the World Cup after leading Argentina to the trophy. Haaland scored 52 goals in his debut campaign at Manchester City as they won a historic treble.
Mbappe’s future is up in the air this summer after the forward sent a letter to PSG stating that he had no intention of extending his contract, which expires in 2024.
ESPN reported that Real Madrid are interested in signing him this summer, but Mbappe said he has his sights set on staying in France next season.
