New Jersey
\nKylian Mbappe said he still believed he was worthy of the Ballon d\u2019Or award despite failing to win any silverware with Real Madrid during the season, while France\u2019s World Cup campaign ended with a semi-final defeat by Spain.
\nIn an interview with France Football, the 27-year-old hailed new France coach Zinedine Zidane and said he believed his performances merited recognition as the world\u2019s best player.
\n\u201cI believe I can win it this year. It\u2019s one of my goals, and a short-term one at that,\u201d Mbappe said. \u201cPeople say I didn\u2019t win a trophy (for club or country), but it\u2019s an individual award. I\u2019ve never seen a Ballon d\u2019Or winner elected unanimously.
\n\u201cHas anyone ever won with 100% of the vote? That means there\u2019s always someone who thought the winner didn\u2019t deserve it.\u201d
\nMbappe scored 15 goals in the Champions League and 25 in La Liga before taking his World Cup tally to 22, becoming the competition\u2019s all-time leading scorer, although France\u2019s campaign ended in a 2-0 semi-final defeat by Spain.
\n\u201cMy idea of the Ballon d\u2019Or comes from the Messi and Ronaldo era \u2014 you don\u2019t give it to ordinary players, you give it to players who are different. I think I did things that were different this year, so I believe I can win it.\u201d
\nAsked if he thought he would be a deserving winner, Mbappe was adamant.
\n\u201cThere was no player better than me. We were talking about achievements. To score that many goals in the major competitions, where all the great players are, and of course at the World Cup, the biggest event, to become the competition\u2019s all-time leading scorer \u2014 throughout my holidays, that was all people talked to me about,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s difficult to fully grasp what the World Cup means. It\u2019s the competition of the great players, the stars, the greatest players in the history of the game. And to tell yourself that, at 27, I\u2019m already the one who has scored the most goals.
\nAnd it\u2019s even more special because you take the record from Leo Messi, who for many people is the greatest player in history alongside Cristiano (Ronaldo). It\u2019s fantastic. That kind of achievement is different.\u201d
\nThe forward praised the appointment of 1998 World Cup winner Zidane, who succeeded Didier Deschamps as France\u2019s head coach.
\n\u201cFor French people, he means a great deal \u2014 he\u2019s a legend, he\u2019s the nation\u2019s \u2018Zizou\u2019, he represents elegance, greatness. He made his mark on the history of the national team as a player, and he had some truly iconic moments,\u201d Mbappe enthused.
\n\u201cHe\u2019s perhaps the player who most embodies the France team. He\u2019s one of those players who transcended generations. He left an indelible mark on the history of French football.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
New Jersey Kylian Mbappe said he still believed he was worthy of the Ballon d\u2019Or award despite failing to win any silverware with Real Madrid during the season, while France\u2019s World Cup campaign ended with a semi-final defeat by Spain. In an interview with France Football, the 27-year-old hailed new France coach Zinedine Zidane and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":566920,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-566911","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n