Kylian Mbappé confirms Ballon d’Or ceremony absence | OneFootball

Kylian Mbappé (26) has confirmed that he will not be present at the Ballon d’Or ceremony, which will take place in Paris next Monday.

Mbappé is not considered one of the main contenders for this year’s prestigious award. It is an individual trophy that continues to elude the France captain. It is his compatriot, Ousmane Dembélé, who is the outstanding favourite to win the trophy next week.

Dembélé won the UEFA Champions League, Ligue 1, Coupe de France, and Trophée des Champions titles with Paris Saint-Germain last season. Those collective titles give Dembélé the edge. “To win it, you have to win things, so I have to help my club win trophies, and after that, we’ll see,” Mbappé told CBS Sports in the wake of Real Madrid’s 2-1 win over Olympique de Marseille on Tuesday night.

Mbappé and Real Madrid to continue Ballon d’Or boycott?

Whilst he has dreams of lifting the trophy next time around, he has confirmed that he will not be present at this year’s ceremony. “I will be happy if Dembélé wins [it] because he is my friend and I have supported him from the start. I will watch it on TV and hope that he wins it,” said the Frenchman.

He will be absent, as all Real Madrid players were last year, due to a boycott. The La Liga giants believed that Vinícius Jr. should have won the award that ultimately instead went to Manchester City’s Rodri.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle