Unpopular Opinion: KYLIAN MBAPPE DESERVED THE BEST STRIKER AWARD at the Ballon d’Or!
In as much as Harry Kane scored 73 goals in the Ballon d’Or period while Mbappe got 58, it’s important to put the goals into perspective and context.
Firstly, Harry Kane surpassed Mbappe thanks to 11 more league goals and 8 more domestic cup goals, and I believe that given both players do not play in the same league, their stats in competitions whereby they both featured had to be the decider. Moreover, the World Cup and Champions League are generally viewed as the most important competitions. Mbappe was the top scorer in the Champions League and the World Cup.
Secondly, in a World Cup year, how will football not honour the guy who became the greatest ever goal scorer in World Cup history? Seeing how much influence the World Cup had in the awards with De la Fuente and Raya winning and even Vozinha featuring among the best goalkeepers, the above question gains a lot more weight. Mbappé not only won the World Cup Golden Boot with 10 goals but he also finished the 2026 World Cup as the all-time leading scorer in the tournament’s history with 22 goals.
His other World Cup records include 12 knockout stage goals, the most of any player in history, multiple goals in seven World Cup matches, and the winning goal in eight matches, both also the most ever. These are stats he attained in the 2026 World Cup.
In conclusion, Mbappe was a more worthy winner of the best striker award. There’s no way we celebrate goals in Bundesliga and DFP Pokal ahead of World Cup achievements that may take decades to be broken..
I am of the opinion that awards like the Ballon d’Or will be much fairer if there is a designated expert committee that sits and analyses performances putting together elements of context and significance. That committee’s result should constitute a percentage of the votes, while that of the journalists constitutes a percentage as well.
Dr Ade Divine
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