Kylian Mbappe snubbed by ex-France co-star Karim Benzema as Real Madrid superstar gives recognition to Arsenal's William Saliba in vote on best French player

Mbappe has once again been named the best French player of the year by France Football, marking the fourth time he has received the prestigious honour. The Paris-born forward was recognized for his performances during the 2023-24 season, a campaign in which he excelled while still playing for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). Despite clinching the title, the voting process revealed surprising details, including a notable snub from former Real Madrid star Benzema and ex-Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante.

According to AS, Benzema, who has previously played alongside Mbappe in the French national team, opted not to award any points to the 25-year-old in his voting. Instead, the Al-Ittihad striker placed his votes for young talents Eduardo Camavinga, Bradley Barcola, and Warren Zaire-Emery. Similarly, Kante, another high-profile teammate from Les Bleus, excluded Mbappe from his choices as he cast his votes in favour of William Saliba, Jules Kounde, and Camavinga. Despite these omissions, Mbappe still managed to edge out the Arsenal defender by five points in the final tally, securing 56 points to Saliba’s 51.

Mbappe, who also participated in the voting process, displayed commendable sportsmanship as the Real Madrid forward ranked Saliba as his top pick, followed by Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni. This marks Mbappe’s fourth win in the category, having previously claimed the title in 2018, 2019, and 2023.

While the accolade celebrates his achievements, Mbappe is currently nursing a thigh injury that he picked up during Real Madrid’s UEFA Champions League victory over Atalanta. Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti later confirmed that Mbappé would miss the team’s upcoming La Liga match against Rayo Vallecano but will travel to Qatar with the squad for the Intercontinental Cup final.