Ballon d’Or 2026: ‘He’s a phenomenon’ – Makelele picks player to win award

Former Chelsea midfielder, Claude Makelele, has picked France captain Kylian Mbappe as the player to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or.

Makelele described Mbappe as a phenomenon, who is having an outstanding performance at the World Cup.

“I hope Mbappe wins the Ballon d’Or. He didn’t win many titles at Real Madrid this season, but his performance in the World Cup was outstanding,” Makelele told Marca.

“We called Ronaldo ‘the phenomenon’ for a reason, and Mbappe is the phenomenon of his generation.

“The scary thing is, he has more to prove. So yes, I am convinced he is the closest we have to a new R9.”

Mbappe is expected to rival the likes of Harry Kane, Ousmane Dembele and, among others, for the Ballon d’Or.

Ballon d’Or 2026: ‘He’s a phenomenon’ – Makelele picks player to win award