Despite going trophyless, Kylian Mbappe still made history this year
Well, unfortunately, 2026 was yet another year that it just wasn't meant to be for Kylian Mbappe. Despite a brilliant individual campaign, the Frenchman came up short, finishing second behind Harry Kane for the 2026 Ballon d'Or. Mbappe did everything in his power to take home the award, but after the season Kane had, it was always going to be tough to take the award off him. However, despite coming up short, Mbappe still managed to make history for French players at the prestigious ceremony.
As pointed out by MadridXtra on X, following his second-place finish, Kylian Mbappe became the first French player to achieve nine consecutive top-10 finishes in Ballon d'Or voting, passing other French icons Michel Platini and Thierry Henry, who both achieved seven top-10 finishes. His second-place finish this year is his personal best, bettering his third-place finish he achieved in 2023. While it may not be the big one he wanted, Mbappe still left the ceremony in London with a small win for his country.
It wasn't Mbappe's night, but he still made history nonetheless
Had Mbappe walked away from the ceremony victorious, he would have become the seventh Frenchman to win the iconic award, joining a list with Raymond Kopa, Michel Platini, Jean-Pierre Papin, Zinedine Zidane, Karim Benzema, and last year's winner Ousmane Dembele. However, it just wasn't meant to be for Mbappe, despite his incredible 25/26 season.
It was a season that saw him score 42 goals in 44 games for Real Madrid, as well as bagging 10 goals for France at the World Cup, breaking the all-time World Cup goals record, upping his total to a remarkable 22 goals in three tournaments. He walked away from the 25/26 season winning three golden boots in La Liga, the Champions League, and the World Cup; however, no he failed to win any team trophies, which could have played a part in his shortcomings in the Ballon d'Or voting.
However, despite not winning, still setting a record for your country is something Mbappe is no doubt proud of, and is still a nice small personal victory for the Frenchman.
His nine consecutive top-10 finishes do show one thing: Mbappe is one of the most consistent performers we have seen over the last 10 years, dating back to when he was a teenager, and he doesn't look to be slowing down any time soon. He's already grabbed 14 goals in 13 games this season, and after coming up short once again, he seems to be determined to take home the iconic Golden Ball in 2027.
