Kylian Mbappe opens up on only “regret” as he makes fresh Ballon d’Or claim, Lionel Messi and Ronaldo call

Kylian Mbappe opens up on only “regret” as he makes fresh Ballon d’Or claim, Lionel Messi and Ronaldo call.

As Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi near the end of their careers, Kylian Mbappe of Paris Saint-Germain is one of the players vying for the Ballon d’Or.

The one thing Kylian Mbappe has expressed remorse about in his little football career is having to mature too quickly.

When the French international, then 18 years old, helped Monaco get to the Champions League semifinals in 2017, it prompted a record-breaking nine-figure transfer to Paris Saint-Germain.

At the age of 19, he also helped France defeat Croatia in the World Cup final, and as a result of the terms of his most recent PSG contract, he is currently among the highest-paid athletes in the world.

Mbappe has not yet won the competition, but he did make it to the 2020 Champions League final, when PSG fell to Bayern Munich. The 23-year-old has shared details about each of his goals, which include winning the inaugural Ballon d’Or and European glory.

Mbappe told the New York Times, “The only thing I regret a little bit is to grow up like a man really fast.” “I’ve always wanted a life like this. This life is different. But as I said, I’m content. And I appreciate that.

Mbappe was on the verge of signing with Real Madrid during the summer since his PSG contract was about to expire. At the last minute, he changed his mind, and he went out onto the pitch at Parc des Princes to tell the crowd.

The Bondy-born forward thinks that along with Sadio Mane of Senegal and Bayern Munich’s Karim Benzema, they are among the favorites to win the Ballon d’Or this year.

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The first stage in maintaining his status will come in midweek when PSG opens their continental campaign at home against Juventus before playing Maccabi Haifa and Benfica in their other group matches.

Regarding his Ballon d’Or aspirations, Mbappé remarked, “I think I’m about to win it.” I frequently claim to dream about everything. I have no boundaries.

Of course, it’s a new generation, as you said. And you’re going to stop, Ronaldo and Messi. We need to look for someone new, someone different.

In 12 of the previous 13 seasons in which it has been given out, one of Messi or Ronaldo has taken home the Ballon d’Or. The lone exception is Luka Modric’s triumph in 2018, while Messi said Robert Lewandowski should have won in 2020 because there was no award given out.

Many people believe that Benzema is the clear favorite to win the Ballon d’Or this year. The Real Madrid striker scored a league-high 15 goals in the Champions League last season, including hat-tricks in back-to-back matches against PSG and Chelsea. He also scored 27 goals in La Liga as his team ended 13 points ahead of rivals Barcelona at the top of the standings.