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"You cannot award the Ballon d'Or to a player simply because he won the Champions League or the World Cup. The Ballon d'Or should belong to one of those players who, when they hang up their boots, will be missed forever."
Those were the words of José Mourinho when asked for his opinion on who should claim soccer's most coveted individual honor on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026.
While he refrained from naming anyone directly, the Real Madrid manager's comments were a fairly obvious endorsement of his own forward, Kylian Mbappé—a man who made history in 2026 yet, frustratingly, still finished the season without a single major trophy.
Had Mbappé lifted one of the significant trophies this year, he would likely already have his acceptance speech ready and his shoes polished in preparation for his inevitable Ballon d'Or victory. But he didn't, and the 2026 race for the award is among the most genuinely compelling in recent memory. There are five or six players who could plausibly win it, but none who absolutely must.
The Ballon d'Or clearly means a great deal to Mbappé. The striker, who has never previously finished higher than third in the standings for soccer's most prestigious individual prize, has been campaigning like Leonardo DiCaprio chasing an Oscar ahead of next month's ceremony, making his case to voters in recent weeks.
And, to be fair, it's a compelling case.
Pichichi Trophy Win ... Again
Though Real Madrid's trophy cabinet saw no new additions in 2025–26, Mbappé's personal honors shelf will need some extra space.
Mbappé led La Liga's scoring charts with 25 goals in 31 appearances, earning him consecutive Pichichi trophies in his first two seasons in Spain—a feat no player had managed since the legendary Mario Kempes back in the 1970s.
The absence of team silverware has continued to haunt Mbappé throughout his two turbulent years at Real Madrid, but on a personal level he could scarcely have delivered a more consistent and lethal presence as the focal point of the attack.
By the end of the 2025–26 club season, the 27-year-old had accumulated a barely believable 86 goals in 103 competitive appearances for Real Madrid. The Frenchman has also now scored against every single opponent he has faced in La Liga—a total of 23 different clubs.
Champions League Top Scorer
The Champions League Golden Boot also found its way to Mbappé, despite Real Madrid's exit at the quarterfinal stage.
Mbappé netted a total of 15 goals in just 11 matches—no player other than Cristiano Ronaldo has ever reached that tally in a single Champions League campaign.
The former PSG star scored in both legs of Madrid's quarterfinal against Bayern Munich and added the other 13 in just seven League Phase matches—a new competition record—including a hat trick against Kairat and a four-goal haul against Olympiacos.
Mbappé now stands as the fifth-highest scorer of all time in the Champions League, with 71 goals in 99 appearances.
Confirmed Shortlists
• Ballon d'Or Nominees (Men's and Women's)
• Kopa Trophy Nominees (Men's and Women's
• Yashin Trophy Nominees (Men's and Women's Goalkeeper of the Year)
• Club of the Year Nominees (Men's and Women's
• Coach of the Year Nominees (Men's and Women's)
Second World Cup Golden Boot Win
Another tournament, another Golden Boot—and arguably the most important achievement in Mbappé's Ballon d'Or case.
At the 2026 World Cup, Mbappé emerged victorious in a personal duel with Lionel Messi on soccer's biggest stage, claiming the Golden Boot and becoming the competition's all-time leading scorer.
Ultimately, Mbappé's ten goals in eight matches across North America (bringing his overall tally to 22) saw him triumph on both fronts.
He is now the first player ever to retain the Golden Boot in the tournament's nearly 100-year history.
The Showreel
Imagine you decided to—TV rights permitting—sit down at your laptop and put together a highlight reel of the finest individual moments across all of 2025–26. There's a strong chance Mbappé would command more screen time than any other player.
The 2026 World Cup will be remembered as a tournament where the stars aligned, but it was Mbappé who burned the brightest, assembling a personal highlights package that won over America, outshining even Messi and cementing his status as an all-time great—even as France fell short.
The semifinal aside, he was virtually unstoppable across North America, scoring more decisive, visually stunning goals than any one player has a right to in a single tournament. Mbappé also revealed his tougher side, standing firm against rough treatment in the knockout clash with Paraguay and still coming out on top.
For Real Madrid too—amid all the chaos and noise—he was consistently the most electrifying and vital player on the pitch, unfazed by any occasion and with a near-unmatched ability to produce the extraordinary.
Legacy
This year more than ever has exposed the contradictions and impossibilities of selecting the single best player in a team sport.
Is Harry Kane's extraordinary goal tally more meaningful than Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's darting, weaving, match-winning Champions League performances? Is Lamine Yamal superior to Lionel Messi simply because Spain defeated Argentina? Should the prize go to Fabián Ruiz purely because he won both the Champions League and the World Cup?
Ultimately, why even try to rationalize the subjective? It's a futile exercise.
In Mourinho's own words: "The Ballon d'Or should go to one of those players who, when they retire, will be missed forever. I miss [Diego] Maradona, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano [Ronaldo], Messi, Zizou [Zidane], Lothar Matthäus ... I miss these people."
Mbappé is one of those rare players, and this year is as fitting a time as any to acknowledge that.