Kylian Mbappe chooses his top 3 for Ballon d’Or, names Real Madrid striker as favourite | OneFootball

When one looks back at how the summer transfer window has progressed this year, Kylian Mbappe’s decision to renew at Paris and snub Real Madrid would appear to be one of the biggest surprises.

It is well known that his decision was not purely economically motivated, for there were several political factors in play too. Moreover, the player has not ruled out a future move to his dream club.

The youngster was asked to name his top three contenders for this season’s Ballon d’Or. As revealed by The Mirror, he chose Real Madrid striker and his international teammate Karim Benzema as the favourite to win the award.

“My Ballon d’Or top 3 is Benzema, me & Mane,” he said.

The young winger also explained to L’Equipe why his compatriot deserved the award.

“Benzema favourite for the Ballon d’Or? Obviously. He’s 34 years old, and just had the season of his life. He also won the Champions League by being decisive. If I was Karim, if I didn’t win I’d stop thinking about this award forever.”

Six Real Madrid players have been nominated by France Football for the 2021-22 Ballon d’Or. Thibaut Courtois, Vinicius Jr, Casemiro, Luka Modric, and Antonio Rudiger join Benzema on the 30-man shortlist.

It is widely speculated that Benzema will walk away with the award on October 17th. This is the first Ballon d’Or that will be decided based on achievements over a season rather than a calendar year, and the 34-year-old has the statistics to back his case.

Last season, he won La Liga, Supercopa de Espana and the UEFA Champions League with his team. In 46 appearances across all competitions, he scored a whopping 44 goals and provided 15 assists.