Real Madrid News
Former Real Madrid winger backs Frenchman to win the Ballon d’Or – ‘He will win it’
While Kylian Mbappe has been one of the world’s best players for a few years now, he has not won the Ballon d’Or to date.
After all, PSG won the UEFA Champions League exactly the year he left them, and Ousmane Dembele took home the coveted award for his season with the Parisiens while Mbappe again missed out on European glory with Real Madrid.
It is astounding that the Frenchman has never won the Champions League, for he would well have had the Ballon d’Or had he won that title. Needless to say, however, it is precisely with that objective that he moved to Real Madrid – the kings of Europe.
Hazard’s thoughts on Mbappe
Earlier today, former Real Madrid star Eden Hazard was asked if he thought Kylian Mbappe would win the Ballon d’Or and the player responded with praise for the French.
He did, however, outline the conditions he felt would have to be fulfilled if Mbappe was to lift the elusive accolade this year via Telefoot.
“Will Kylian Mbappe win the Ballon d’Or? I think he will win it. He’ll need to win the Champions League, La Liga, and go far in the World Cup.”
“But I’m not worried about him at all, he will have the Ballon d’Or,” he added, confidently remarking that it was only a matter of time.
Mbappe’s numbers this season place him as one of, if not the most, in-form players in world football at the moment.
The forward simply cannot stop scoring for Real Madrid and has single-handedly carried the team’s attack and goalscoring responsibility for over six months.
He is, thus, the frontrunner for the award provided he takes home major silverware of some form in the coming months.
With Los Blancos already eliminated from the Copa del Rey and having lost the Spanish Super Cup, they will have to win the domestic league or the UCL to make him a strong candidate. This being a World Cup year, France’s performance in the event could also play a role.
Real Madrid will be looking to pick up their fifth win of the 2026/27 La Liga season when they take on Elche CF at Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero later tonight.
With 12 points from five games, Los Blancos are currently second in the league table, three points below leaders FC Barcelona.
As such, the Spanish capital club will be eager to get the win and close the gap to the top.
Guler starts, Bellingham rested
Ahead of kickoff, Real Madrid have announced the starting lineup that will take the field against Elche, with Jose Mourinho making some important changes.
For starters, Arda Guler is back in the lineup after appearing as a substitute in the win over Rayo Vallecano.
Interestingly, however, he starts in the attacking midfield role, with Mourinho opting to rest Jude Bellingham, who has started all of Real Madrid’s games so far.
That also means that Yan Diomande retains his place in the team, starting for a second time in a row on the right wing. Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. continue in their respective positions in attack.
Another notable change sees Aurelien Tchouameni make his first start of the season after recovering from injury and making two appearances off the bench.
He replaces Bernardo Silva as Federico Valverde’s partner in the middle of the park.
Meanwhile, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Marc Cucurella come in as full-backs, while Ibrahima Konate and Dean Huijsen slot in at centre-back in front of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
📋✅ ¡Nuestro XI inicial!
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) September 15, 2026
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