Three Golden Boots in One Year: Can Mbappe Win the Ballon d'Or? _ Mbappe _ World Cup _ Rodri

This question does not require subjective emotions or any bias; it is simply an objective discussion.

As 2026 gradually approaches its end, the intense competition of last season and the twists and turns of the World Cup have already passed, and everything has now settled. In the second half of the year, the only remaining suspense is whether the final winner of the Ballon d'Or can be determined.

This year's Ballon d'Or race has been exceptionally chaotic, with the contenders spread out, a situation not seen in at least the past decade. If the 2024 race was mainly concentrated between Vinicius Jr. and Rodri, with the remaining candidates lacking enough influence, this year the impact of the World Cup has diluted many players' excellent club performances, causing every potential winner to lose points to varying degrees.

At present, Kane appears to be the most favored candidate. Although he had an almost perfect season at Bayern, the Bundesliga naturally carries less weight compared with La Liga and the Premier League. In addition, Bayern's failure to lift the Champions League trophy also reduced his evaluation. As for the World Cup, while Kane's performance was not poor, it was not spectacular either. In particular, within the England team, his goal tally was even lower than Bellingham's, which weakened his influence in matches.

At this point, we have to mention Mbappe. I know that when many people talk about him, they often think of negative labels such as 'Real Madrid's problem player,' believing he damaged the team's overall structure. However, sometimes the Ballon d'Or selection does not consider these factors and focuses only on statistical performances, especially when there is no clear dominant contender and votes may become heavily divided.

Although Real Madrid did not win any trophies and France only finished fourth, it is worth noting that Mbappe won three Golden Boots over the past year — the La Liga Golden Boot, Champions League Golden Boot, and World Cup Golden Boot. These three honors combined may be enough for him to compete for a Ballon d'Or.

Recently, Mbappe has indeed expressed his desire for the Ballon d'Or. Although this drew considerable mockery, the fact remains that these three Golden Boots provide him with highly competitive credentials in the race for the award.

As mentioned earlier, if Kane has disadvantages, they mainly come from the Bundesliga's lower prestige compared with La Liga and the Premier League, as well as his failure to win the Champions League. At the World Cup, Kane also struggled to match Mbappe's performance. Yamal won both La Liga and the World Cup, but his individual performances have been questioned for not reaching the highest level. He was injured before the World Cup, causing his performance in the tournament to fall short of his level at Euro 2024.

Rodri has also become a major topic of discussion, with many emphasizing his importance on the pitch. However, in reality, the Ballon d'Or places greater importance on visible statistics and attacking impact. Manchester City's results declined this year, and Rodri was unable to replicate his previous brilliance.

Although I am not a supporter of Argentina or Messi, objectively speaking, if Messi, who scored 8 goals and provided 4 assists in 8 matches, could not even win the World Cup Golden Ball, it would indeed raise questions. If Rodri won the World Cup Golden Ball because of his performance, then winning the European Ballon d'Or again would clearly become more difficult.

In conclusion, scoring goals is not a crime, and Mbappe winning the La Liga Golden Boot cannot be considered the reason why Real Madrid failed to win trophies. Even when Real Madrid exited the Champions League in the quarter-finals, Mbappe remained at the top of the scoring charts. At the World Cup, Mbappe became the tournament's all-time top scorer, and this historic achievement may add further weight to his Ballon d'Or bid.

Undoubtedly, Kane currently leads the Ballon d'Or power rankings, while Mbappe's achievement of winning three Golden Boots in one year cannot be underestimated. In such a relatively balanced competitive environment, I believe this possibility is worth looking forward to.