Former Ballon d'Or winner Ruud Gullit has explained how he believes Kylian Mbappe could receive the France Football award, citing “personal preference” as the deciding factor.
The Dutchman narrowed his list down to three names: Mbappe, Lamine Yamal and Harry Kane, then admitted that “no one has stood out” as the Ballon d'Or’s clear winner.
Gullit claimed that it is usually “not too difficult” to pick out the France Football award’s victor, and that voters will have a tougher time in 2026.
Ruud Gullit explains why “personal preference” could win Kylian Mbappe the Ballon d'Or
Speaking with ComeOn, the Dutchman stated that “personal preference” will be a considerable factor in the minds of Ballon d'Or voters, with Mbappe, Yamal and Kane each possessing similar claims.
Gullit said: “Kylian Mbappe was the top scorer at the World Cup, Harry Kane was the top scorer in the Bundesliga, but Erling Haaland was top scorer in the Premier League and won two trophies.
“Rodri was excellent for Spain and had a fantastic World Cup. Lamine Yamal? We all love him but he was not the star of the World Cup final, and he didn’t make it to the Champions League final.
“So there’s a lot to think about,” confessed the Dutchman. “I think this year the winner is going to be picked out of personal preference, not so much on what they have achieved."
For Mbappe, that could spell positive omens. With Yamal and Kane unable to produce clear-cut cases for their worthiness over the Frenchman, it is “personal preference” that could see him emerge as victor.
Kane has, like many Premier League players of the 2010s, historically been snubbed for the award, while Mbappe and Yamal have each received podium finishes.
Should Ballon d'Or voters decide that the Frenchman has waited long enough, coupled with Yamal having additional years left to win France Football’s award, then the trophy could be his come October.
On who he would choose, Gullit was undecided. “If I was picking based on my personal preference, it would be between three players but I cannot pick between them because it is too hard,” he confessed.
“None of them won the Champions League this year. Yamal won the World Cup but he was not the main man for Spain. [But] I can understand why people would vote for Yamal.
“I can understand why people would vote for Mbappe, [and] why people would vote for Kane,” he continued. “That’s why they are the three I would pick, but don’t ask me to pick just one of them.”
“What Kane has done in Germany is unbelievable, but then I watched the World Cup, and I watched the Champions League, and what Mbappe and Yamal did is also unbelievable,” Gullit concluded.
