Any man who must say, 'I am the king,' is no true king

My Gift Is Goals

Picture this, you are one of the most well-known football players in the world, you have some great INDIVIDUAL seasons with your team and with the national team. Yet, no trophies, all that you have accomplished is individual glory, and in one shape only — goals. These are great, they decide the outcome of games, but they are not the only thing that matters — there's also assists, interceptions, playmaking, tackles, headers won, balls lost, saves and so much more. Your goals, while celebrated by both Real Madrid and France, did nothing for either trophy cabinet. You are Kylian Mbappé and this was your 2025-26 season.

"There was no player better than me... "My best advocate is my feet. As much as I speak. The most important thing for me is that the Ballon d'Or returns to Real Madrid. It must return to the Bernabéu, to the Madridistas, that it returns for all these people to give them hope. Those people deserve it more than anyone."

#The Teams

Last season was not a good one for Real Madrid, well not for their standard of greatness which equals to winning everything that is played. Kylian did well while wearing the number 10 shirt, which personally does not fit him, but that's a conversation for a different day or post. But nothing was won — games, yes but trophies, no — he was important but in a team sport all the moving pieces need to be running smoothly for results to appear. His teammates set him up to reach those goals, but his lack of defensive labor might have had something to do with the trophyless season — labor he does not like to partake in.

Now the French national team, he had the most grandiose stage available and while the team looked ready to win it — the eventual champions stopped them, and not only that, they were left in the dust throughout the whole game. But the World Cup was not all bad, it was the perfect stage for an individual achievement — he was the tournament's top scorer and became the all-time record holder for goals in all World Cups. Still though, nothing was won for the team, and not only that, he was completely frozen by the Spanish national team.

Me, Me and then Me Again

After the World Cup came his claim, actually his demand of the prestigious Ballon D'Or award. After winning nothing but personal individual records, he started claiming he was the only worthy choice. He even went as far as minimizing his teammates, even though he claimed he did not, but words matter and he knows how to use them. He is a smart man and understands the media, the industry and all that surrounds the sport — but his focus is starting to mirror that of his idol a bit too much. He forgets that individual awards are meaningless when there's not enough to back it up and goals are not enough. He forgets his competition also had incredible seasons and actually won trophies.

The Current Trend

It seems though that the current focus, or at least that of Kylian and Lamine, is not on being worthy but on talking, talking and doing more talking. They forget that if they are indeed the best, no one will question them; the decision will come naturally. They see themselves at the level of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, but they are nowhere near their level yet. They don’t yet have the worth to ask for that award. They might one day, but patience is a virtue worth developing. They just talk, talk and talk yet forget that actions are what matters most. They are both incredibly talented, and could enter that conversation, but they won't enter the realm of greatness by begging — people will place them there.