Mbappe backs Messi to win Ballon d'Or: He was the best this year - 7M sport

Mbappe backs Messi to win Ballon d'Or: He was the best this year

Both stars are among the 30 nominees for December’s award but the Paris Saint-Germain attacker believes the Argentine deserves to win it


Posted Monday, November 25, 2019 by Goal.com

Mbappe backs Messi to win Ballon d'Or: He was the best this year

Kylian Mbappe has backed Lionel Messi to win the 2019 Ballon d’Or award.

The PSG forward argued that the Argentine has been the best player of the year, with Messi once again a strong favourite to claim the honour next month.

The winger netted an astonishing 51 goals in all competitions for his club in the 2018-19 campaign, helping Barcelona secure another La Liga title.

Messi is a five-time winner of the prize, clinching it in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and most recently in 2015.

Only Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo has claimed the award as many times, with Real Madrid’s Luka Modric ending the pair’s dominance with his first Ballon d’Or last year.

But Mbappe is confident that Messi’s remarkable calendar year will see the 32-year-old lift the prize once again.

When asked who he thinks will win the award by German outlet Der Spiegel, Mbappe replied: “Messi. In individual terms, he was the best this year.”

Messi is one of four Barcelona players up for the prestigious award, with goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen and new team-mates Antoine Griezmann and Frenkie de Jong also in contention.

And Mbappe is joined by fellow PSG player Marquinhos, with the winner announced in Paris on December 2nd.

The young French star watched on at The Best FIFA Awards earlier this year as his Argentinian idol clinched first place, with Mbappe coming sixth.

He missed out on Messi’s votes, but was Ronaldo’s third choice for the award, behind Juventus team-mate Matthijs de Ligt and former Ajax midfielder De Jong.

But despite also being among the 30 nominees for the upcoming Ballon d’Or, the 20-year-old did question his own ability, before assuring himself that there is simply no time to ponder over mistakes in football.

“Sometimes I'm worried, I'm scared, if you fail as a player, you're in doubt, and when you lose in a big match, the question is, is this the end of it? It was nice, but now it's over!

“But that will not last long, because the good thing about football is that you do not have much time to think.”



Attention: Third parties may advertise their products and/or services on our website.7M does not warrant the accuracy, adequacy or completeness of their contents.
Your dealings with such third parties are solely between you and such third parties and we shall not be liable in any way for any loss or damage of any sort incurred by you.