Kylian Mbappé snagged the best ranking of Real Madrid’s three 2025 men’s Ballon d’Or nominees with a seventh place finish.
The France international might have gotten off to a slow start in a white shirt, but he eventually put together a campaign that made history at Real Madrid. Mbappé scored 44 goals across all competitions, smashing just about every debut goalscoring record in place at the biggest club in the world.
Although the individual brilliance of the ex-Paris Saint-Germain star was not enough to lift Real Madrid to a major trophy in 2024–25, it did lead to several individual honors. Mbappé took home the Pichichi Trophy and the European Golden Boot for his efforts, earning himself a nomination for the 2025 men’s Ballon d’Or along the way.
Mbappé fell short of winning the prestigious prize at this year’s Ballon d’Or ceremony, but he still mounted a top 10 finish, unlike his fellow teammates and nominees Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham, who placed 16th and 23rd respectively.
Finishing seventh in the Ballon d’Or voting puts Mbappé behind his former PSG teammates Achraf Hakimi, Vitinha and of course, the 2025 men’s Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé. The Real Madrid forward also finished behind Raphinha, Mohamed Salah and Lamine Yamal.
Mbappé’s latest ranking is one place above where he finished in the 2024 men’s Ballon d’Or voting; the Frenchman came sixth last year in his final season at his boyhood club. He was not present at either ceremony, though, nor was Real Madrid after a public fallout with France Football.
The new number 10 at Real Madrid will hope to put in an even better campaign under new boss Xabi Alonso to perhaps contend for the 2026 men’s Ballon d’Or.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Kylian Mbappe Learns 2025 Ballon d’Or Fate After Historic Real Madrid Debut Season.
