Courtois backs Mbappé for Ballon d'Or but admits trophy gap
- Thibaut Courtois says no player was better than Kylian Mbappé individually this year.
- He admits Real Madrid won no trophies, which could count against his teammate.
- The 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony holds in London on Monday, 26 October.
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has thrown his weight behind Kylian Mbappé for the 2026 Ballon d'Or, saying the French forward stood above every other player on individual form over the past year.
Courtois made the case in an interview with DAZN on Wednesday, 21 October, ahead of Monday's ceremony at the London Palladium in the United Kingdom.
But the Belgian also conceded a weakness in his teammate's case: Real Madrid ended the year without silverware, and that could count against Mbappé when voters weigh up the award.
"Individually, no player was better than him this year, but sadly, we didn't win any trophies," Courtois said.
He then turned to Barcelona's Lamine Yamal, whom he named as a strong rival for the prize. Courtois argued that the young Spaniard had a poorer World Cup than Mbappé but gained ground by lifting trophies with his club.
"Lamine Yamal had a worse World Cup than Mbappé, but he won the title and won the league," he added.
Why this matters
The Ballon d'Or goes to the outstanding individual footballer of the year, but voters have long argued over how much weight team success should carry.
Courtois' comments capture that tension neatly. Mbappé, one of the biggest names in the game, produced the kind of season that wins individual praise, yet his club finished empty-handed. Yamal, meanwhile, has the medals to point to.
For Nigerian fans who follow the European leagues closely, the debate is familiar: does the best player win, or the player with the most trophies? This year's race puts that question squarely on the table.
French football great Thierry Henry and British broadcaster Kate Scott are set to co-host the ceremony, according to reports.
What happens next
The winner will be announced at the London Palladium on Monday, 26 October. Until then, the argument between individual brilliance and team glory will keep running.
