The gala is still weeks away, but the Mbappe Ballon d’Or campaign is already running at full tilt — and for the first time since 2024, Real Madrid are running it alongside him. Mundo Deportivo reports that Los Blancos have lifted the unofficial veto they placed on the award after Vinicius Junior’s defeat two years ago, and have begun openly pushing Kylian Mbappe’s case through their usual channels. The ceremony, the outlet says, will be staged at the London Palladium to mark the prize’s 70th anniversary.
The Mbappe Ballon d’Or case, and where it creaks
Mbappe fired the opening shot himself, taking the microphone before Madrid’s Champions League opener against Inter Milan to make the argument in his own words.
“I don’t vote, but I have made history at the most recognised event in sport, the World Cup, and I have good feelings,” he said.
He is not wrong about the history. Mbappe left the summer’s World Cup as its all-time leading scorer on 22 goals across three participations, and finished last season as the Champions League’s top scorer with 16.
The fissures are just as visible, and Mundo Deportivo does not pretend otherwise. France went out in the semi-final to Spain and finished fourth, and on the night that mattered most Mbappe’s only shot on target was a tame one. Madrid’s own European run ended in the quarter-finals against Bayern Munich. A candidacy built on volume rather than on decisive nights in the biggest matches is one that can be argued against — and in Spain it already is. Radio MARCA trailed a segment this week under the line that it is “even sad to see how Mbappe is being sold for the Ballon d’Or”.
Dembele answers: “They never saw me as the chosen one”
The reigning winner has now joined in. Speaking to Ligue 1+ after Paris Saint-Germain’s 1-0 win at Brest, and carried by Marca, Ousmane Dembele was asked about the vote and offered a pointed answer.
“I have always been at the back of the class, working hard. Throughout my entire career I have not said a word; I have worked enormously hard,” Dembele said. He added that he feels no pressure to retain the trophy: “As I have said before, they never saw me as the chosen one, but I pushed myself and last year I was rewarded with a fantastic season at PSG. And now, this year, we will see — no pressure, calmly.”
The phrasing was no accident. As L’Equipe noted, “the chosen one” echoes Mbappe’s own line to France Football, in which the Madrid forward said of his compatriot: “Dembele? He was always seen as a talented player. I, on the other hand, was always seen as the chosen one.” We covered that interview and its fallout earlier this month.
Dembele’s own file is formidable. A second consecutive Champions League, decisive performances in the ties against Liverpool and Bayern Munich and in the final against Arsenal, a Ligue 1 title, the French league’s player of the year award, and six goals at the World Cup. If the voters reward trophies won rather than records broken, the incumbent is very hard to move.
Why Real Madrid are engaged this time
The context is what makes this compelling. Two years ago, Madrid responded to Vinicius Junior finishing behind Rodri by refusing to attend at all, a boycott that defined the club’s relationship with France Football for two seasons. That veto has now been lifted, which tells you plenty about how confident the Bernabeu hierarchy feel. Karim Benzema, in 2022, remains the last Madridista to lift the trophy.
Jose Mourinho’s side have also started the season well, sitting near the top of La Liga with Mbappe scoring freely. Whether that unseats a European champion is another question, and the shortlist is crowded — Madrid have several names on this year’s nominee list.
For now, the campaign is the story. Madrid have switched the machine back on, Mbappe is happy to speak for himself, and the man holding the trophy has made it clear he intends to keep hold of it. October in London is shaping up nicely.
