Winning the Champions League or the Ballon d'Or? What will Mbappe choose?

European glory or personal glory

Kylian Mbappé would take the Champions League with Real Madrid over the Ballon d'Or. That was the verdict of journalist Laranaga, weighing the Spanish club's collective glory against the individual prize.

Speaking on "El Partidazo de Cope", Laranaga built his case around Mbappé's own words about wanting to become part of Real Madrid's history. Winning the Champions League with the club, he explained, would hand the Frenchman a collective triumph that immortalises his name in the team's story.

He put his view plainly. To Laranaga, it made no sense to assume a player says one thing in public while secretly believing the opposite, so the position was clear: "He will choose the Champions League." That reading rested on Mbappé's stated desire to leave a mark at Real Madrid, and on the idea that names "are immortalised in history in this way".

Laranaga did offer the counter-argument. The Ballon d'Or can prove tempting for footballers because it delivers clear individual recognition, tied to the winner's name and image. For some players, that personal glory may feel like a greater form of immortality than lifting the Champions League with the team.