“There was no one better than me last season”

Kylian Mbappe does not speak often, but whatever he says attracts enormous public attention. His interview for French Football was certainly no exception. The Real Madrid forward spoke about his own development, the criticism he receives, his relationship with the fans, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, Jose Mourinho, the France national team, as well as his ambitions to win the Ballon d’Or. That last topic got him a lot of attention (not necessary the kind of attention he wanted), but Mbappe is not giving up on the idea that he should get the reward.“I have a feeling I can win it this year. They say I haven’t won any team titles, but it’s an individual trophy. I’ve never seen a Ballon d’Or chosen unanimously, but I have my arguments: being the all-time top scorer in World Cup history, thinking that, at 27, I’m already the player who has scored the most goals, also surpassing a legend like Messi, in the most important tournament in the sport” he points out.Mbappe frustrated with the viral meme about himBallon d’Or is obviously a big thing for him as he continued to analyze his case in depth and again repeated that he would vote for himself."I can understand those who think differently. But when you analyze the competition, nobody had a better season last year than me, and sometimes the votes were for the best player on the best team, and not necessarily for the best player in the world. I would vote for myself. I've always thought the Ballon d'Or should reward a different kind of player, like in the era of Messi and Ronaldo. It's never given to ordinary players, but to exceptional ones. And I think I've done things differently this year, which is why I believe I can win it" he explained.Epitome of humility – Mbappe: "Who do I vote for to win Ballon d'Or? For myself!"Mbappe fulfilled his childhood dream and managed to sign for Real Madrid from PSG (in his second attempt). Now he reflected about his time in the club, the locker room egos and the new boss Jose Mourinho.“Every locker room has egos, even those without stars. People always associate ego with stars. And yet, I've seen players who didn't ask for a photo or an autograph and yet had enormous egos. Many people have egos, not just players. The booing? It happens. Many have been booed there; when you sign, you know what you're getting into. I understand them. Mourinho is very intelligent. He impressed me; you can tell he knows what he’s doing and where he’s going. It’s important for players to have a direction to follow. He told me: ‘Score goals’” revealed Mbappe.You can hate him, but you have to admire himThe French international was asked to name some of the current football players he like.“I inspire many players. And many have inspired me, even some I consider less strong than me. Who do I like now? Among the youngsters, Lamine Yamal. He has everything. I like Estevao, he has a special creativity. Guler can go very far. Endrick has potential; he's a goalscorer. Zaïre-Emery and Doue are going to have great careers” he pointed out.How Man United missed out on Mbappe: "They weren't too sure about him, so we just left it"And again, it was time to talk about himself a bit more.“I get a lot of criticism, but that’s life for someone at the top. The center forward is always under scrutiny. Everyone has known what I can do for years. So now people don’t look at what I do, but at what I don’t do. Football is about scoring goals, and scoring one more than the opponent is the hardest and most valuable thing. A player who scores will never be a problem for a team. Defensively, I can do more to help my teams. Offensively, I can be even more effective because I have a knack for creating chances. There aren't any players in Europe who can create as many chances as I can” he concluded.LA LIGA – MATCHDAY 5FridaySevilla – Valencia 1-0 (0-0)/Iglesias 81/Saturday15.00: (2.45) Racing Santander (3.40) Alaves (2.85)17.15: (2.15) Osasuna (3.30) Espanyol (3.50)19.30: (1.38) Athletic Bilbao (4.70) Elche (8.50)22.00: (1.12) Real Madrid (10.0) Rayo Vallecano (16.0)Sunday15.00: (1.75) Celta (3.50) Malaga (5.00)17.15: (15.0) Levante (8.00) Barcelona (1.15)19.30: (2.45) Getafe (2.80) Deportivo A Coruna (3.50)22.00: (2.90) Real Sociedad (3.45) Atletico Madrid (2.40)Monday22.00: (1.95) Villarreal (3.60) Betis (3.80)***odds are subject to change***