Despite Falling Behind Erling Haaland in Ballon D’Or, Kylian Mbappe Is the ‘Best in the World’, Claims Former American Star

Kylian Mbappe came third in the race for the Ballon d’Or. The 24-year-old PSG striker has been nominated six times for the prestigious award but has always fallen short of clinching it. For the 2023 Ballon d’Or title, there has been ample debate on Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi, but not many have given credit to the Frenchman for his performances in the World Cup. Among the few who have, is a former USMNT icon who claims despite the rankings, Kylian Mbappe is better than the likes of Europe’s biggest soccer names.

France manager, Didier Deschamps, is a huge admirer of Kylian Mbappe as well. He has always kept Mbappe in high regard while comparing him with the best of the best.

Soccer veteran claims to have picked Kylian Mbappe over Haaland and Bellingham

It’s crazy to think that even after being crowned the player of the season for your club and also winning the League’s player of the season, it doesn’t even get you a shoutout these days. Let alone, leading your team to the penalties of a World Cup final. But there are a few who see the depth of talent in the 24-year-old, former New England Revolution player, Janusz Michallik, is among them.

Janusz Michallik openly claimed Mbappe is the best in the world. However, he looks a bit dissatisfied with how the award winners’ selection took place. He said, “Kylian Mbappe is the best player in the world and if I had a choice at this moment to take Haaland or Kylian Mbappe or Jude Bellingham, I wouldn’t even think for a second which player I would take and that would have been Kylian Mbappe.”

He continued, “I don’t want to call it (Ballon d’Or) a popularity contest but you know there’s journalist, there’s players, there’s coaches and we all know that coaches and your teammates are going to vote for you, regardless.” To further clear Michallik’s point, the top 100 journalists from the top 100 FIFA-ranked countries vote for who they think has been the best player in the world for the year to decide the result of the Ballon d’Or.

However, it’s not just Michallik who’s a Kylian Mbappe supporter, the France national team manager has been a big admirer of the Frenchman since day one.

Didier Deschamps values Mbappe’s talent

Didier Deschamps shared his thoughts on the ongoing ‘Greatest of All Time (GOAT)’ debate during a recent interview. In his opinion, he made a bold statement, saying, “The Argentines say so but it’s difficult to say that Messi is better than Cristiano Ronaldo or Mbappe, who is younger.”

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Deschamps’ assertion is remarkable and holds value given his extensive background in the sport. He definitively asserts that Messi doesn’t necessarily surpass Cristiano Ronaldo or Kylian Mbappe. His words hold weight especially when considering the statistics. At the age of 24, the Frenchman boasts more goals and assists than Messi and Ronaldo.

Furthermore, Mbappe’s trophy cabinet includes six league titles and a World Cup, outshining those of Messi and Ronaldo. These stats go a long way to show why Deschamps lauds the PSG Striker and values his exceptional talent and potential in the soccer world.

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