A player wearing a Real Madrid jersey touches his forehead while a Ballon d'Or appears in the background and, in the corner, there's a man speaking into a microphone.
Mbappé, the Ballon d'Or and Ramón de Mon in a circle | Camara Real Madrid Confidencial
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Ramón de Mon, very direct, delivers a verdict on Mbappé for the Ballon d'Or: 'He can't do any better'

He jumps right into the debate about the award, and his words are forceful

by

Borja Díaz

With the season already over, now is the time to start talking about the Ballon d'Or. The overall performance throughout the year and the performances of each of the candidates can now be judged. Madridists saw Mbappé as the best positioned to win it this year.

Some predictions place him as the ninth favorite with a 2.9 percent chance. It's clear that he doesn't deserve it this time, especially because he didn't bounce back at the Club World Cup. The gastroenteritis he had to deal with left him weakened in the few matches he was able to play.

Soccer player in a white uniform performs a bicycle kick in a match against a team in yellow and black uniforms while several players watch the play.
Mbappé performing a bicycle kick against Borussia | Real Madrid Confidencial

Given this scenario, Ramón de Mon has made his prediction and has ruled out Kylian Mbappé. "As a Golden Boot winner, he's earned a spot in the top 10, but it won't go much further than that," he wrote on Twitter. He has lacked a major title to prove his credentials.

In the Champions League, he only made it to the quarterfinals with a poor performance against Arsenal. His standout performance came with a hat-trick against Manchester City in the play-offs for the round of 16. In the league, he couldn't lead the team to victory despite finishing as the top scorer.

The great favorite for the Ballon d'Or

Barça have tried to push Lamine Yamal as the great favorite for the Ballon d'Or. However, he didn't win the title in the Nations League after losing in the final to Portugal. Since then, he's been on vacation after failing to qualify for the Club World Cup.

Soccer player wearing a white jersey with the number 9 giving a thumbs up on a grass field while holding a water bottle
Mbappé making the OK gesture | Real Madrid Confidencial

This has caused the Spaniard's chances to drop, making way for Dembélé, who is the great favorite. Not only because of his season or his Champions League title, but also because of the positive impression he left at the World Cup. He's the great favorite, although after what happened in 2024, any surprise is possible.

Other PSG players like Vitinha or Fabián Ruiz shouldn't be ruled out either, as they've been important. Not only have they had good performances, but they've been key to winning the Champions League. That should carry a lot of weight unless you want to be unfair.

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