Zidane insists Mbappé deserved 2026 Ballon d'Or over Kane

France head coach Zinedine Zidane has declared that Kylian Mbappé deserved to win the 2026 Ballon d'Or after the Real Madrid star finished second behind Harry Kane. In a Telefoot interview cited by Diario AS, Zidane said: "Mbappé was disappointed, because he deserved to win the Ballon d'Or, that is for sure."

Mbappé's case rests on a phenomenal season: immediate impact at Real Madrid following his PSG move, and the Golden Boot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup as France captain. Kane's victory likely reflects his goal-scoring exploits for Bayern Munich and England.

For Nigerian fans who follow European football religiously, this reignites the perennial debate about Ballon d'Or criteria. The award is voted on by journalists globally, making it inherently subjective. Zidane's opinion carries particular weight—he won the award himself in 1998 and knows what World Cup greatness looks like.

The disagreement highlights a deeper tension: individual brilliance (Mbappé's World Cup top scorer) versus sustained team success (Kane's club and country trophies). Both players had exceptional years by any metric.

Does individual brilliance on the world's biggest stage outweigh collective silverware when deciding football's top individual prize?

SOURCE: https://dailypost.ng/2026/11/09/ballon-dor-zidane-names-player-who-deserve-to-win-award/