Kylian Mbappé’s Unexpected Placement in FIFA’s ‘The Best’ Awards

Kylian Mbappé, the 25-year-old French football sensation, found himself in an unexpected position in FIFA’s recent ‘The Best’ awards. Despite his stellar performances, Mbappé only managed to secure the ninth spot in the overall voting for best men’s player.

Interestingly, France’s national team manager, Didier Deschamps, didn’t rank Mbappé as his top choice. Instead, Deschamps placed Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr. above Mbappé in his voting. This decision comes amidst Deschamps’ recent exclusion of Mbappé from France’s last two international fixtures.

However, Mbappé received unexpected support from some quarters. Former rival Chancel Mbemba, currently playing for Olympique de Marseille, ranked Mbappé as his top choice. Additionally, Mbappé’s ex-teammates from Paris Saint-Germain, Achraf Hakimi and Milan Skriniar, also placed him in the number one spot.

This year’s ranking marks a departure from Mbappé’s recent performances in ‘The Best’ awards, where he finished second in 2022 and third in 2023. The top honors this year went to Vinicius Jr., who narrowly beat Manchester City’s Rodri.

Real Madrid dominated the top 10 list, with Jude Bellingham, Dani Carvajal, and the retired Toni Kroos joining Vinicius Jr. and Mbappé. Former PSG star Lionel Messi, now with Inter Miami, also made the top 10, finishing sixth despite no longer playing in Europe’s top leagues.

As the football world reacts to these rankings, the spotlight remains on Mbappé’s future performances and his relationship with the French national team under Deschamps’ management.