Kylian Mbappe WILL be crowned 2026 Ballon d'Or winner! Ex-France international makes huge claim despite Real Madrid star potentially ending season with zero trophies

Mbappe conquered the world as a teenager in 2018, before netting a final hat-trick in 2022 as France fell agonisingly short against Lionel Messi and Argentina. He is determined to spearhead another charge for the ultimate honour in 2026.

If Didier Deschamps’ side were to emerge victorious, then Mbappe - as a talismanic presence for his country who is poised to become their all-time leading goal-scorer - would become a serious contender for Ballon d’Or immortality.

Success there has proved elusive, despite being billed as a potential winner for some time, and the fearsome frontman is now 27 years of age. Sagna is, however, confident that his time will come.

Quizzed on whether Mbappe will win a Golden Ball, or is destined to forever miss out, Sagna - speaking in association with Parimatch Online Casino - told GOAL: “He will win it. I think it is the right season for him to win it this year. 

“I think the World Cup will be good with the France national team. I think he will have a good spell in the Champions League with Real Madrid. On a personal level, he is already ahead because he is doing well and standing in the first position. Unless he has a terrible World Cup, which I doubt, I think he will win the Ballon d’Or this season.”

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Mbappe has registered 34 goals for Real this season through 28 appearances, helping to keep them in La Liga's title race. Fellow countryman and World Cup winner, Frank Leboeuf, is another who hopes to see Ballon d’Or recognition bestowed upon a true ‘Galactico’ at some point.

He recently told GOAL: “I don’t like the Ballon d’Or, because for me it doesn’t mean anything. It’s not the best player. The Ballon d’Or is supposedly for the best player in the world. If he wins that, does that make Mbappe the best centre-back in the world? I can tell you Mbappe is really bad at centre-back! It should be called MVP, most valuable player. It is better to have Mbappe than any centre-back in the world, even if it is [William] Saliba - one of the best in the world - because those people bring people to the TV and the stadium. But the best player doesn’t mean anything. It’s a business.

“I really want Mbappe to win the Ballon d’Or because he is an incredible player. But, nowadays, the main players are those that are winning. It’s going to be hard for Kylian Mbappe and for Erling Haaland. They have to really go for it because next season or the season after, it is going to be done.”

The current holder of the Ballon d’Or crown is a Frenchman - Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembele. He enjoyed a dream 2024-25 campaign, recording 35 goals as PSG savoured Champions League glory as part of a historic treble triumph.

He is likely to be eclipsed by the likes of Mbappe in the years to come, with Sagna conceding that Dembele will never scale such heights again. He added: “Last year he was flying and performing. To do the same again physically is difficult. 

“I don’t think he will win it again. He seems to have injuries. He has to find consistency and play like that all the time. The contenders will be Mbappe, Haaland, and it will be difficult for him to win again. But, he remains a top, top player. It’s never easy. It’s always difficult for anyone to win back-to-back.”

Only seven men have ever won the Ballon d’Or in consecutive years, and they are: Johan Cruyff, Kevin Keegan, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Michel Platini, Marco van Basten, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Time is still on Mbappe’s side when it comes to joining that star-studded list of all-time greats.