Real Madrid legend Roberto Carlos unequivocal on his pick for Ballon d’Or: ‘Kylian Mbappe’ | OneFootball

Speaking at an event in Portugal, former Real Madrid defender, club legend and ambassador Roberto Carlos made his preference for the 2026 Ballon d’Or.

The 2002 World Cup winner, widely regarded as one of the greatest left-backs in football history, Carlos answered a few questions from AS during the event.

And, on being asked who should win the Ballon d’Or this year, his answer was unequivocal: “Kylian Mbappe.”

The French superstar is one of the favourites for the top individual prize in football this year, although he will face stiff competition from Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal and Harry Kane of Bayern Munich.

Meanwhile, Carlos also had praise for another former Real Madrid great Cristiano Ronaldo, saying:

“He can play for another 10 years. He’s a physical phenomenon, he’s happy to be with the Portugal national team and he has such joy in continuing to play football.”

Carlos backs Mbappe for Ballon d’Or. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Learning from the Galcticos

During his presentation at the vent, Carlos reflected on his career alongside the famous Galacticos at Real Madrid.

“Ronaldo won the Ballon d’Or in 90 minutes in 2002. With my experience with the Brazil national team and Real Madrid during the Galacticos era, I mainly felt like a child in the dressing room surrounded by so many players with incredible histories,” he said.

“I wanted to learn from them.”

Two of the players Carlos claimed he learned most from were Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo.

“Zidane is an incredibly intelligent person. Ronaldo Nazario is another type of person. He’s a great businessman. He even bought Valladolid,” he said.

“He made Valladolid increase significantly in value. The club had one value, and when he sold it, it was completely different. Why? Because he built the structure needed to increase its value.”

Real Madrid Galacticos. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

From football to life after retirement

Carlos also revealed that he had once imagined becoming a coach after retiring from playing.

“When I was still playing, I thought about becoming a football manager. I was lucky enough to work with the best coaches in the world and play with the best players in the world, so naturally I started learning a little about tactical systems.”

The Real Madrid icon ultimately chose a different path after ending his playing career in India in late 2015.

“I always thought that life after football meant building a story as a player, using your image commercially and, in my case, as a Real Madrid ambassador, taking the Real Madrid name around the world,” he said.

He explained that his time alongside highly intelligent people during his playing career had also taught him lessons about life away from the pitch.

“When I played, I was around incredibly intelligent people who taught me how to be a good person while also showing me what they were doing, whether that was working as a sporting director, coach or fitness coach.”