The 30-player shortlist for the 2026 Ballon d’Or was recently unveiled, and Kylian Mbappé made the cut. Ahead of the Champions League fixture early this morning, Thierry Henry shared his thoughts on this year’s Ballon d’Or in the studio and named Mbappé as his favourite to win.
Thierry Henry said: “This year is not as straightforward as last year. Remember I kept saying Ousmane Dembélé, Ousmane Dembélé, Ousmane Dembélé… it was obvious he would win. I think this year is a bit complicated because all these players have their own highlights.”
“Take Harry Kane for example. But the Player of the Season in the Bundesliga last campaign was Michael Olise. If you ask England fans who shone brightest at the World Cup, they will say Jude Bellingham. Then I mention Bellingham, and you may argue his season at Real Madrid was not great.”
“Then there is Rodri. He was outstanding at the World Cup and won the tournament’s best player award, yet he did not play many minutes across the whole season. For Lamine Yamal, you may point out his poor World Cup showing as he joined the tournament carrying an injury.”
“Then Erling Haaland. How can you overlook a striker who scores goals from every angle? Still, I rank him below some players I just named. Next is Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who did not take part in the World Cup.”
“Speaking of Lionel Messi, I believe if Argentina had lifted the World Cup trophy, he would have claimed both the World Cup and the Ballon d’Or. But unfortunately, that did not happen.”
“Michael Olise is another contender, and he is very close to my top pick — Kylian Mbappé. Yes, people tell me he has won no trophies. I want to remind everyone this has happened before in history. People should check the records; some Ballon d’Or winners claimed the award without winning any major titles in the voting year, since voting takes place after that season concludes.”
“But for me, the choice is Kylian Mbappé. When you look at his individual stats, a player like him consistently delivers extraordinary performances, such as winning the Champions League Golden Boot, La Liga Golden Boot and World Cup Golden Boot. Michael Olise is similarly impressive with his incredible assist numbers. If you look at the goals he scored at the World Cup, and also in the Champions League, it is absolutely insane.”
“I just want to explain there are many candidates, and to be fair they are all high-calibre players. Still, personally I would vote for Mbappé. Olise is my second choice.”
During the 2026 Ballon d’Or voting period (August 3, 2025 to July 19, 2026), Kylian Mbappé featured in 60 games, scoring 58 goals and providing 13 assists, though he failed to claim any major trophies.
