WHY MBAPPé SHOULD WIN BALLON D’OR, COURTOIS

Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has backed teammate Kylian Mbappé to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or, arguing that the French forward has been the best individual player of the year despite Real Madrid’s failure to win major trophies.

Courtois made his position known in an interview with DAZN ahead of the Ballon d’Or ceremony, scheduled to take place in London on October 26.

“I think Kylian deserves it, but people vote according to their own logic,” the Belgian goalkeeper said.

He argued that voters must decide whether the award should recognise a player’s individual performances or the trophies won by their club and country.

“Do we choose someone who has won trophies or someone who has been above the others throughout the season, even if they have not won anything? I am thinking especially of Kylian. I think individually nobody has been better than Kylian, but unfortunately, we have not won anything collectively,” Courtois said.

Mbappé is among the leading contenders for the award after an impressive individual campaign, although Real Madrid ended the season without a major trophy. The forward also finished as the leading scorer at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where France finished fourth.

Courtois acknowledged that Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal has a strong case because of his achievements with Barcelona and Spain, who won the World Cup.

“Lamine Yamal had a slightly worse World Cup than Mbappé, but he won the title and won the league,” Courtois said.

The goalkeeper also questioned whether team success should carry so much weight in determining the winner. He pointed to the 2024 award, when Manchester City midfielder Rodri won ahead of Real Madrid players Vinícius Júnior and Dani Carvajal, whom Courtois had expected to be stronger contenders.