Thierry Henry, the former Arsenal and France striker who now works as a pundit for CBS Sports Golazo, has named Kylian Mbappe as his favourite to win this year's Ballon d'Or, despite the Real Madrid forward finishing the season without a major trophy.
Henry said he expected criticism for the pick because Mbappe had not won anything, but argued this had happened before in the history of the award. He said some people needed to do their research and realise that previous Ballon d'Or winners had claimed the prize without lifting a trophy that year. He pointed to what Mbappe had achieved individually instead, finishing as the top scorer in the Champions League, La Liga and the World Cup.
Henry's case for Mbappe
Henry, France's all-time leading scorer and Arsenal's record goalscorer, built his argument entirely around individual output rather than team success. He compared Mbappe's season with those of the other Ballon d'Or contenders and concluded that his compatriot's numbers across three different competitions set him apart from the field.
The Ballon d'Or, awarded annually by France Football, is widely regarded as football's most prestigious individual honour, handed each year to the player judged the best in the world over the preceding season. Mbappe has previously finished as a runner-up for the award and moved to Real Madrid from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2024.
Olise named as closest rival
Henry said only one player came close to matching Mbappe's case, his France international teammate Michael Olise. He said Olise was very close to being his favourite, adding that the winger had matched Mbappe's achievements but in terms of assists rather than goals.
Olise, who plays his club football at Bayern Munich, has established himself alongside Mbappe as one of France's key attacking players in recent seasons. Henry's comments, made on CBS Sports Golazo, set up Mbappe and Olise as the two names he considers to be at the front of the race for this year's award.
