Paris Saint Germain forward Kylian Mbappe said his priority has never been to win the prestigious Ballon d’Or, stressing that winning the award never keeps him awake at night. The 21-year-old forward said he always put playing for the French national team and PSG ahead of individual honours.
Since 2018 when Kylian Mbappe had his biggest break in football, he has been touted as one of the fast-rising talents who will take over from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo who have been dominating the world of football for over 10 years now.
He was so close to winning the Ballon d’Or in 2018, the year he helped France to win the FIFA World Cup. He ended up finishing 4th on the list, losing the award to Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric.
Besides the wonders he has been doing for France national team since 2017, Mbappe has been a phenomenon for PSG. The 21-year-old was a huge factor in the success of the club during the cancelled 2019-2020 season. Before the season was halted and consequently cancelled, Mbappe had scored the joint highest number of goals in the league and ended up winning the season’s highest goal scorer award.
“It would be nice to win [Ballon d’Or]- but it is not something that keeps me awake at night,” he told The Mirror. “I don’t think I have to win it next season or the season after – there is no time limit I have put on it.
“Always I will put PSG and the national team as my priority – then if personal honours come from my performances then it is a bonus.”
Mbappe joined PSG from Monaco, first on loan and then on a permanent basis. PSG spent about €180 million to get him to stay with the club permanently in 2018, making him the second-most expensive player and most expensive teenager ever.
Since he joined PSG, he has helped the club to win four Ligu1 titles and a Coupe de France. This season makes it the 3rd season in a roll the Frenchman ended a season as the highest goal scorer.
Kylian Mbappe Hails Liverpool
Meanwhile, Kylian Mbappe told The Mirror that Jurgen Klopp, the coach of Liverpool is behind the success of the Premier League club. He described the club as a “machine”.
“This season Liverpool have been a machine in the Premier League. They have made winning look easy – but the truth is that is never easy.
“To be as ruthless as they have been would come from having a very good manager and lots of hard work in training. Performances like they have been having don’t just happen.”
Jurgen Klopp’s team are topping the Premier League table with 25 points more than the second-placed Manchester City. Before the coronavirus pandemic halted football, Liverpool had only lost a match. If the season restart in June, the club will only need to win at least 3 games out of 9 to be crowned champions of the league for the first time in 30 years.
