- Ramos lays down the verdict on Ballon d'Or
- Wants Mbappe to take home the accolade this year
- Believes Frenchman will win it multiple times
AFPKylian Mbappe told he can win the Ballon d’Or five times as Sergio Ramos backs Real Madrid star over Ousmane Dembele, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha despite lack of major trophies
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Advanced protection across 11 devices with high-speed VPN
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Those that sign up for ExpressVPN's most popular plan, the Advance plan, gain access to a high-speed VPN, which offers high-capacity 40Gbps servers in many high-demand locations, with VPN servers in 113 countries worldwide.
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Over 28 monthsSave 73%
Protect 14 devices with the top ExpressVPN plan
Pro
Those that sign up for ExpressVPN's top-tier Express Pro plan gain access to a high-speed VPN, which offers high-capacity 40Gbps servers in many high-demand locations, with VPN servers in 113 countries worldwide.
The VPN can be applied across 14 different devices simultaneously, and offers Advanced Protection that blocks ads, trackers and malicious and adult websites. A dedicated IP is included with the Express Pro plan.
Additionally, ExpressVPN's Advanced plan includes the ExpressMailGuard, which offers an unlimited private email relay plus an unlimited number of shared aliases and 20 custom domains, ExpressKeys, which gives users a password management facility for an unlimited number of passwords plus a 2FA authenticator, and ExpressAI, an AI assistant that offers 500 credits a day, six AI models, a web search facility plus 2GB storage.
There is a 30-day money-back guarantee for new users. The plan is available on a one-month rolling contract, although those that sign up for a 12-month plan (offering one year plus an extra three months) can save around 60%, while those that sign up for a two-year plan (offering two years plus an extra four months) can save 67%. Both longer-term plans include a 3GB holiday.com eSIM that is valid for five days in 150+ destinations.
Over 28 monthsSave 67%
Protect 10 devices with high-speed VPN
Basic
Those that sign up for ExpressVPN's entry-level Basic plan gain access to a high-speed VPN, which offers high-capacity 40Gbps servers in many high-demand locations, with VPN servers in 113 countries worldwide.
The VPN can be applied across 10 different devices simultaneously, and offers Lite Protection that blocks ads and malicious and adult websites. A dedicated IP is available to be purchased as an add-on.
Additionally, ExpressVPN's Basic plan includes the ExpressMailGuard, which offers a 10MB/month private email relay plus 10 shared aliases.
There is a 30-day money-back guarantee for new users. The plan is available on a one-month rolling contract, although those that sign up for a 12-month plan (offering one year plus an extra three months) can save more than 60%, while those that sign up for a two-year plan (offering two years plus an extra four months) can save 80%.
Over 28 monthsSave 80%
Advanced protection across 11 devices with high-speed VPN
Advanced
Those that sign up for ExpressVPN's most popular plan, the Advance plan, gain access to a high-speed VPN, which offers high-capacity 40Gbps servers in many high-demand locations, with VPN servers in 113 countries worldwide.
The VPN can be applied across 12 different devices simultaneously, and offers Advanced Protection that blocks ads, trackers and malicious and adult websites. A dedicated IP is available to be purchased as an add-on.
Additionally, ExpressVPN's Advanced plan includes the ExpressMailGuard, which offers a 100MB/month private email relay plus 50 shared aliases and a custom domain, and ExpressKeys, which gives users a password management facility for an unlimited number of passwords plus a 2FA authenticator.
There is a 30-day money-back guarantee for new users. The plan is available on a one-month rolling contract, although those that sign up for a 12-month plan (offering one year plus an extra three months) can save more than 60%, while those that sign up for a two-year plan (offering two years plus an extra four months) can save 73%. Both longer-term plans include a 3GB holiday.com eSIM that is valid for three days in 150+ destinations.
Over 28 monthsSave 73%
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Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Ramos and Mbappe spent two seasons as team-mates at Parc des Princes between 2021 and 2023. The former Spanish international now plies his trade for Mexican side Monterrey, while Mbappe arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu last summer. The Frenchman had a difficult opening few months, despite winning the Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup in the first half of the season. However, the 26-year-old found his feet in the latter half of the campaign and ended his debut season with Los Blancos with a record-breaking 43 goals in 56 games, winning the European Golden Shoe in the process for scoring 31 La Liga goals. His goals, however, weren't enough to prevent Barcelona from winning the league as well as the Copa del Rey. Meanwhile, their Champions League defence ended in an embarrassing 5-1 quarter-final defeat to Arsenal.
Ramos, though, believes that the Ballon d'Or is an individual award for which the criteria is never definitive, thus backing the French forward to take home the award ahead of the likes of Ousmane Dembele, Lamine Yamal, and Raphinha.
Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR MBAPPE AND RAMOS?
Mbappe will be hoping to continue his lethal form in front of goal when Madrid kick off their Club World Cup campaign against Asian giants Al-Hilal on Wednesday evening, while Ramos will be seen in action against Champions League runners-up Inter in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
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