Three Golden Boots in One Year: Can They Bring Mbappe the Ballon d'Or?_Mbappe_World Cup_Rodri

This is not merely a subjective discussion, but a completely objective topic.

With three-quarters of 2026 already gone, we have experienced a fiercely contested season and the ups and downs brought by the World Cup. Things are gradually becoming clearer, and the only suspense in the second half of the year is how to identify the Ballon d'Or winner from the remaining contenders.

This year's Ballon d'Or race is extremely complicated, with different contenders standing apart from each other, creating a situation rarely seen in more than a decade. Looking back at 2024, the battle was essentially between Vinicius Jr. and Rodri, while the others were not strong enough to form a serious challenge. However, due to the influence of the World Cup this year, many players who had outstanding club performances saw their achievements somewhat diluted, causing the ratings of every potential winner to decline.

Currently, Kane is widely regarded as the strongest candidate. He enjoyed an almost perfect season at Bayern, but compared with La Liga and the Premier League, the Bundesliga's overall prestige is clearly lower. In addition, although Bayern performed well, they failed to win the Champions League trophy.

As for the World Cup, although Kane's performance cannot be considered poor, it was far from spectacular. Even within the England squad, his goal tally trailed Bellingham's, and his goal in the third-place match may not provide much help in the final competition.

At this point, Mbappe must be discussed. Although some people associate Mbappe with Real Madrid's problems and accuse him of disrupting the team's balance, the Ballon d'Or sometimes focuses only on statistics. When there is no overwhelming favorite and votes become divided, the importance of statistics becomes increasingly evident.

There is no denying that although Real Madrid failed to win trophies and France finished only fourth, Mbappe has earned three Golden Boots over the past year through his performances: the La Liga Golden Boot, the Champions League Golden Boot and the World Cup Golden Boot. Are these three honors enough to bring him the Ballon d'Or?

In recent years, Mbappe has publicly expressed his desire to win the Ballon d'Or several times, although those statements were mocked. But objectively speaking, these three Golden Boots have strengthened his case and are important assets in his competition with other candidates.

As mentioned earlier, one of Kane's disadvantages is the lower prestige of the Bundesliga, along with his failure to win the Champions League. On the World Cup stage, his performance was indeed inferior to Mbappe's. For Yamal, injuries limited him; although his team won the championship, his individual achievements were not particularly outstanding.

Rodri's situation is similar. Although he plays an important role on the pitch, the Ballon d'Or places more emphasis on visible statistics. Rodri's latest inclusion among the candidates is far less impressive than his 2024 campaign, and Manchester City's overall decline makes it difficult to support his challenge.

Although I am not a devoted supporter of Argentina and Messi, it must be acknowledged that scoring eight goals and providing four assists in eight World Cup matches yet failing to win the World Cup Golden Ball is difficult to understand. If Rodri's midfield control were to overcome Messi to win the Ballon d'Or, the possibility of him receiving the European Ballon d'Or again would be extremely small.

In conclusion, scoring goals is not a wrongdoing. I do not believe Mbappe winning the La Liga Golden Boot is the reason Real Madrid failed to win the title. In the Champions League, although Real Madrid were eliminated in the quarter-finals, Mbappe still led the scoring charts. At the World Cup, he not only achieved a historic breakthrough but also lived up to his reputation, and perhaps this achievement can become an important bonus in the Ballon d'Or evaluation.

Although Kane currently holds a slight advantage in the Ballon d'Or rankings, Mbappe's achievement of winning three Golden Boots cannot be ignored. In a relatively balanced competition, Mbappe's chances remain worth looking forward to.