Kylian Mbappé, main candidate for the 2026 Ballon d'Or, embarked on a journey that went through auditions, family choices and curious anecdotes before becoming a world star. The young Real Madrid striker, who won the World Cup in 2018 and scored a hat-trick in the 2022 final against Argentina, is now in the running for the prestigious individual award, having already won the title of best player of the World Cup.
In 2012, at the age of 13, Mbappé spent a week at Chelsea thanks to a trial organized by scout Serge Daniel Boga. The Blues, impressed by his talent, requested a second test to also evaluate his ability to play without the ball. His mother, Fayza Lamari, rejected the proposal, stating that if the club really wanted the youngster, they had to offer him an immediate contract. In the same year, Zinedine Zidane invited him to try out at Real Madrid, where the boy spent a week training. However, the family opted for Monaco, where they felt they had more points of reference and greater proximity.
All this to then, twelve years later, see Mbappé arrive at Real Madrid in 2024, thus completing a journey that began in such an uncertain way. His bond with Milan, however, was deeper than you might think. Raised in an Italian family, the young Frenchman was a fan of the Rossoneri club. According to his mother, when Milan lost, Mbappé would throw the remote control at the television and curse in Italian. This anecdote, although harmless, shows the passion the young man felt for the club from an early age.
The nickname "37" was born in 2018, when his France teammates called him this in reference to the maximum speed of 37 km/h reached during the World Cup match against Argentina. The impressive gallop cemented Mbappé's reputation as one of the most feared and respected footballers of his generation. Today, with his current form and performances at Real Madrid, the young Frenchman is considered a serious candidate for the 2026 Ballon d'Or, along with Harry Kane and Lamine Yamal.
Mbappé's future remains uncertain only due to the competition with other great talents, but his career has already been marked by crucial decisions, a strong bond with Milan and a path that took him from Monaco to Real Madrid. With the season still underway, fans will be able to observe whether the young Frenchman will be able to win the prestigious individual award for the first time in his career.