Ballon d'Or is not an obsession, France's star striker Mbappé tells RFI

France skipper Kylian Mbappé targeted winning the Ballon d'Or as one of the objectives rather than an imperative of his sporting career during a wide-ranging interview with RFI. The 27-year-old has been nominated for football's most prestigious individual prize every year since 2017. His best finish came in 2023 as a Paris Saint-Germain player when he finished third behind Lionel Messi who had just moved from PSG to Inter Miami and Manchester City's Erling Haaland. In 2025, after heading from PSG to Real Madrid, Mbappé finished in seventh place as his former PSG teammate Ousmane Dembélé collected the trophy after starring in PSG's imperious procession to a French league and cup double as well as a first Champions League crown. "I think the Ballon d'Or is a goal for any player and for any competitor. But an obsession? No, I don’t think so." Dembélé's strikes send PSG past Liverpool into Champions League semi-finals Dembélé, who starred with Mbappé during the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, features on the 2026 list along with eight other players from the PSG side that won the 2026 Champions League and Ligue 1 title. Ferran Torres, who moved from Barcelona to PSG in the summer after his World Cup-winning strike, is also on the shortlist for his feats last season in La Liga and at the World Cup. 'Chance to win' "I've got a chance to win because I’ve had a good year," said Mbappé. "I’ve had a great year on a personal level, and I know that’s the most important criterion for the Ballon d’Or. "I was the top scorer in all the major competitions and I think this could be a good year for me – I’ve got a good feeling about it." This year's prize-giving ceremony will take place on 26 October in London in tribute to the trophy’s first winner Stanley Matthews. The 41-year-old Englishman, who played for Blackpool FC, came in ahead of Real Madrid's Alfredo Di Stéfano and the Frenchman Raymond Kopa, who had just left Stade de Reims for Real Madrid. The ‘Wizard of Dribble’ - as Matthews was nicknamed - received his golden ball trophy in a wood-panelled room inside Blackpool Town Hall from Gabriel Hanot, the editor of L'Équipe. Herbert Henson, the mayor of Blackpool, was among the smattering of dignitaries present in the northern English seaside town alongside Matthews' wife, Betty. Ballon d'Or at London Palladium Seventy years on from such modesty, football's glitterati will pack pomp and circumstance into the London Palladium for the 70th awards ceremony. "It’s true that there’s a lot of talk about an open contest, so it’s enjoyable," said Mbappé. "It’s enjoyable to watch, it’s enjoyable to be part of and I think it entertains people as well. "Of course when a competitor doesn’t win, they’re always disappointed. So, from that point of view, if I don't win I think it’s my competitive spirit that will be affected the most." Mbappé scored eight times as France surged to the semi-final at the 2026 World Cup where Spain suffocated them 2-0. World Cup record He took his tally up to 10 goals during a 6-4 defeat to England in the third place play-off match to finish with the golden boot as the tournament's top scorer and the accolade of the first player to win the prize at successive World Cups. His haul of a record 22 goals over three tournaments distinguish him as the top marksman during a 96-year history that has taken the World Cup from a 13-team affair in three stadiums around Montevideo in Uruguay to a 48-nation five-week extravaganza spanning four different time zones at 16 venues in three counties. Mbappé, Dembélé, Olise dazzle up front but Maignan makes it possible Not bad for a boy from Bondy reared by a Cameroonian father and a mother whose parents come from Algeria. "I’ve always been brought up with an African culture, even though I was born in France and have done everything here," said Mbappé. "I’ve never severed the link with my roots, with my background. I think it’s important because, for one thing, it ’s part of who you are – the values you’re brought up with. "Every time I go to Africa, I’m always made to feel extremely welcome. I feel the love from the people, and that’s really, really important – and it’s truly rewarding to feel the support of an entire continent like that." World Cup expansion The World Cup expansion from 32 to 48 teams allowed Africa to double its representation at the tournament to 10 sides. While nine of those outfits negotiated the three games in the group stages to advance to the last 32 knockout round, only two – Egypt and Morocco – reached the last-16. Egypt went down to a Messi-inspired Argentina in the last-16 and after dispatching the Netherlands in the last-16, Morocco lost to France in the quarter-finals. "All I know is that, having played against African teams this summer and before, it’s very difficult – it really is," added Mbappé. "They’re teams that are hard to break down. I think they’ve gained a lot of confidence because they’ve realised they can beat anyone. So they play without fear, without apprehension. And they really are dangerous teams because they’ve come on so much, made such progress. It’s always a challenge to play against these teams." Nations League test for Zidane's France That stress test is unlikely to fade away in future intercontinental tournaments. In the meantime, France will advance under another stalwart from its first golden era. Zinedine Zidane, who scored two goals in the 3-0 victory over Brazil that brought France its first World Cup in 1998, took over in July from Didier Deschamps, the man who skippered that World Cup-winning side as well as the team that vanquished Italy to claim the 2000 European championships. "He [Deschamps] has made history," beamed Mbappé. "He’s truly put the French national team back where it belongs. So for that, we’ll always be grateful. "Now, it’s a new chapter with a new manager. And it’s always the same at the start – it’s all new. So we’ll see." France begin competitive life under Zidane on Friday night with a game against Turkey in League A1 of the Nations League at the Turka Kocaeki Stadium in Izmit. Three days later, they play in Belgium before hosting Italy on 2 October and Belgium on 5 October at the Stade de France. The top two sides from the four groups in League A advance to the last eight knockout stages next March. The semis and the final will be played in June. "We’ll have to find our feet," added Mbappé. "We’ll be thrown straight into the deep end and we’ll have to start winning again straight away because that’s what people expect of us."