Mbappe Breaks Silence on Real Madrid's Explosive Ballon d'Or 2025 Plans

Kylian Mbappé has announced he will skip the Ballon d'Or gala for the second consecutive year, with Real Madrid also choosing not to participate.

The Spanish giants stubbornly boycotted the 2024 event at the eleventh hour after learning that Vinícius Júnior would not claim victory. Dani Carvajal and Jude Bellingham were also in contention, but the award ultimately went to Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri.

Madrid did secure other honors—Men's Club of the Year and Men's Coach of the Year for Carlo Ancelotti—but they felt overlooked and insulted regarding the primary prize.

It remains unclear whether those bitter sentiments continue, or if Real Madrid's absence from Monday evening's Paris ceremony stems from having a league match against Levante just 24 hours afterward. Regardless, they will not attend, as Mbappé revealed to Champions League broadcaster CBS this week.

The French striker netted 44 goals in his inaugural season with Real Madrid, breaking a 32-year-old record established by Ivan Zamorano for most goals in a debut campaign—the Chilean found the net 37 times in 1992–93.

However, the absence of silverware—Los Blancos captured nothing in 2024–25—means he is not a serious Ballon d'Or candidate, nor does he view himself as one. Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Mohamed Salah and Ousmane Dembélé are competing to claim the prestigious golden award.

"To claim the Ballon d'Or, you must first secure trophies. So, I simply need to assist my team in winning silverware, and then we'll evaluate," Mbappé stated. "I'll be delighted if Ousmane Dembélé triumphs because he's my friend. I'll be watching from my television and hoping he succeeds."

Mbappé placed third in the 2023 Ballon d'Or rankings, his sole top three placement thus far. Karim Benzema was both the most recent French player and Real Madrid star to triumph, in 2022.