Henry argues that collective titles are not the decisive factor for winning the Ballon d'Or. Instead, the former French star advocates for experts to focus more on individual achievements when considering votes for Mbappe.
"People will tell me Kylian won no collective titles, but they should look further. Some have won the Ballon d'Or without winning any prior tournaments. Consider his individual achievements: top scorer in the Champions League, La Liga, and the World Cup," Henry stated in Le Parisien on 10/9.
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Kylian Mbappe dribbles past Hakan Calhanoglu and Benjamin Pavard during a Champions League match against Inter Milan at the Bernabeu Stadium, Madrid, Spain, on 8/9/2026. Photo: AP
France Football recently announced Mbappe as one of 30 candidates for the 2026 Ballon d'Or. The French football magazine outlined three priority criteria for journalists' votes: individual performance (excellence, statistics, decisiveness), collective achievement (national team and club titles), and sportsmanship. Given this order, Mbappe has a strong chance to win the Ballon d'Or without a collective title.
Last season marked collective setbacks for Mbappe. With Real, he was eliminated in the Champions League quarterfinals and the Copa del Rey round of 16, lost the Spanish Super Cup final to Barca, and finished second in La Liga. At the World Cup, Mbappe and the French national team placed fourth, falling 0-2 to Spain in the semifinals and 4-6 to England in the third-place play-off.
In contrast to his team's results, Mbappe had a successful 12 months individually. He was the top scorer in La Liga with 25 goals, the Champions League with 15 goals, and the World Cup with 10 goals.
History shows several players have won the Ballon d'Or without significant collective titles, including Luis Figo in 2000, Lionel Messi in 2012, and Cristiano Ronaldo in 2013. In these cases, individual performance, particularly goal tallies, proved decisive.
Henry believes the 2026 Ballon d'Or race will differ from last year, when Ousmane Dembele won easily due to his success with PSG. The former star noted that this year's candidates all have shortcomings, with no one truly standing out. Henry pointed out that Harry Kane is not as good as Michael Olise for Bayern, Jude Bellingham is not in form at Real, Rodri played limited minutes for Man City, Lamine Yamal arrived at the World Cup injured, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia did not participate in the World Cup, and Lionel Messi lost in the World Cup final.
"If Argentina had beaten Spain in the final, Messi would have had a second World Cup and the Ballon d'Or," Henry added.
Journalists representing the top 100 FIFA-ranked nations will vote for the Ballon d'Or. Each journalist selects 10 players from the 30 candidates, awarding points in descending order: 15, 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 point. The Ballon d'Or ceremony is scheduled for 26/10 in London, England.
Thanh Quy (from LP)
