Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappé says he feels no "frustration" at not yet having won the Ballon d'Or, and the France forward reckons "it could be a good year for me".
Mbappé went without a title last season, a factor that weighs heavily in the voting. He finished fourth at the World Cup with France and drew a blank on trophies at Real Madrid.
Speaking to "CNN Sports" as he unveiled a new sponsorship deal with a sportswear brand, he insisted he still has a shot, arguing the award should reward the best individual player.
"Football is a team sport, but there are team awards to represent that collective supremacy," he said.
He added: "When we talk about the Ballon d'Or, we give it to one player, that is to the best player, and to the person who proves to be the best, and every major competition shows something".
Barcelona's rising star Lamine Yamal and Bayern Munich's Harry Kane shape up as his most prominent rivals this year. Lionel Messi is also fancied to land a record ninth award, mainly on the back of his stunning World Cup with Argentina.
Mbappé fell short of a second World Cup crown with France, yet he produced an unforgettable tournament, netting 10 goals to finish top scorer. Still, he insists the wait for a Ballon d'Or does not eat away at him.
"Because as a competitor, you always want to win everything. So in the end, of course you want to win, every player wants to win, but we have to wait," he continued.
For days now he has been pushing, launching a media campaign in which he has spoken more than once about deserving the 2026 Ballon d'Or. He even clashed with France team-mate Ousmane Dembélé over the prize.
On life with France under new boss Zinedine Zidane, he explained: "This is the start of a new era in the national team, and we are extremely happy about his (Zidane's) arrival. Let's see what we will do. I think everyone expects a lot from us, and there are many lessons to be learned from the team's performance in North America this summer".
"We are one of the best teams in the world, and everyone saw that. But we have to work on the details to be the best in the world, and I think everyone saw that too," he continued.
He signed off: "In the end, it was a great experience for us because I think we made fans around the world happy, but we did not achieve what we were aspiring to. But I cannot say it was a failure".
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