The competition for the most prestigious individual award of the 2023 Ballon d'Or is expected to be led by Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland.
Messi won the 2022 World Cup with Argentina and Haaland won three titles with Manchester City in the 2022-2023 season. As for Kylian Mbappe, he scored a hat-trick in the World Cup final, won the Ligue 1 championship and scored 54 goals for PSG and Les Bleus.
When TF1 asked him if he could participate in the 2023 Ballon d'Or race, Mbappe said:
Golden Ball? It is difficult to talk about individual titles, because you have to put yourself ahead of the group. That is not necessarily something to say in public. Am I worthy of the Ballon d'Or? With the new criteria, what achievements will be calculated? title, goalscoring and impact level? I think I fit those criteria. I would say I do, but it depends on the voters and Im always optimistic.
Missing the 2022 World Cup title, while PSG could not go deep in the Champions League, the 24-year-old player is still very positive.
What can I learn from this season for the French team? Of course, the World Cup. That is special in the year, the decisive moments. I am willing to exchange my 3 goals in the final for an own goal and a victory. History is only about the winners. We want to write history. It's hard to get past the trophy like that."
Mbappe's future is still in question as he is said to have informed PSG about not renewing his contract, meaning he will become a free player in 2024. PSG could have to sell him this summer for a huge fee.
