UEFA Champions League

Courtois: Mbappé is preparing to win the Ballon d’Or in 2027

Kora W Goal editorial team5 November 2026 at 18:491 Minute

Image accompanying the source article: Courtois reveals Mbappé’s plan to win the Ballon d’Or next year (video)

Thibaut Courtois said Kylian Mbappé had moved past the disappointment of not winning the 2026 Ballon d’Or and had begun preparing to compete for the award next year. The Real Madrid goalkeeper made the comments after his team beat AEK Athens 3-2 in the fourth round of the league phase of the Champions League.

Courtois explained that Mbappé is working to win the award in 2027 and that the team will aim to win the Champions League or La Liga to help him. He also said he was surprised by the votes of some journalists, noting that they had left Mbappé, as well as Lamine Yamal and Harry Kane, out of their top ten.

Courtois said Real Madrid support their teammate Vinícius Júnior, adding that the team believes in his ability. He added that facing a defensive block and the marking an opponent may impose with two or three players makes things difficult for Vinícius, Mbappé and Yan Diomande.