'You won't win the Ballon d'Or at PSG!' - Kylian Mbappe was told he needed to join Real Madrid to achieve ultimate dream as ex-team-mate Jese Rodriguez reveals advice

Jese, a graduate of the Real Madrid youth academy, left Spain and joined PSG in 2016. A year later, Mbappe arrived in a record deal from Monaco. In a recent interview, Jese recalled the conversation he had with the former Monaco wonderkid, urging him to leave PSG and join Los Blancos if he was serious about achieving his dream to lift the Ballon d'Or.

Mbappe earned his first Ballon d'Or nomination in 2017, after a historic season at Monaco as the French giants reached the semi-finals of the Champions League and lifted the Ligue 1 title. The 26-year-old has been named in the top 30 nominees every year since then, with his nomination for the 2025 Ballon d'Or being the eighth such instance. While he's yet to lift the coveted individual accolade, he did manage to reach the podium, earning a career-best third-placed finish behind Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland in the 2023 rankings. Despite winning the European Golden Shoe for scoring 31 league goals last season, his chances to lifting the award seem slim, given the Merengues failed to win either La Liga or the Champions League. He has, however, backed his national team-mate Ousmane Dembele to take home the Ballon d'Or for his performances in the 2024-25 season.

Speaking to El Chiringuito, Jese said: "When I left PSG, Real Madrid wanted Mbappe, and he asked me: 'What's Madrid like? What's the club like?' I said to him: 'What is your dream?', and he replied: 'To win the Ballon d'Or.' I said to him: 'You have to join Real Madrid, you won't win the Ballon d'Or here.' He replied: 'Okay'."

Mbappe has had a spectacular start under new Madrid boss Xabi Alonso, scoring thrice in as many league games to help last season's runners-up collect maximum points in August. He will next be seen in action on Tuesday as France host Iceland, before returning to club duties on Saturday with a visit to Real Sociedad.