- Kylian Mbappe won the 2026 Onze d'Or, beating Lamine Yamal and Harry Kane to the award with nearly half of all reader votes
- The Onze d'Or is voted on by readers of French magazine Onze Mondial and has historically predicted the Ballon d'Or winner in the same year
- Mbappe's victory comes just seven days before the official Ballon d'Or ceremony, where he is considered one of the leading candidates
Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe has won the 2026 Onze d'Or, claiming the award given annually by readers of French football magazine Onze Mondial to the best player in the world over the previous season.
Mbappe secured 48.2 per cent of the vote, comfortably ahead of Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Joao Neves, who finished second with 11.9 per cent, and PSG winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who came third with 10.8 per cent.
Source: Getty Images
It is the first time the French forward has won the award.
The recognition arrives exactly one week before the Ballon d'Or ceremony, adding significant weight to Mbappe's chances of landing football's most prestigious individual honour.
Mbappe's reaction to the Onze d'Or
Speaking after receiving the award, Mbappe said he was grateful for the public's support and described the honour as fuel for further improvement, The Daily Observer reports.
"I'm happy to receive this recognition. It is a reward for the work I have put in throughout the year. It gives me a lot of motivation to improve and keep moving forward," he said.
The France captain and Real Madrid forward also acknowledged the role that supporters play in the game, noting that entertaining fans remains a core part of what players owe the sport.
Why the award matters for the Ballon d'Or race
The Onze d'Or carries weight beyond its own merits.
In recent seasons, its winner has gone on to lift the Ballon d'Or, and the voting process shares similarities with that of the more celebrated award, Yahoo Sport reports.
Last season, Ousmane Dembele won both accolades. That pattern has given Mbappe and his camp genuine reason for confidence heading into Monday's ceremony.
Mbappe's individual numbers across the 2025/26 campaign were difficult to argue against.
He finished as the top scorer in both La Liga and the UEFA Champions League and added the Golden Boot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after netting 10 goals in the tournament.
That tally lifted his all-time World Cup scoring record to 22 goals across three editions, making him the competition's greatest scorer in history.
His chief rival for the Ballon d'Or is Barcelona's Lamine Yamal, who won La Liga, the UEFA Champions League and the Spanish Super Cup and played a central role in each of those triumphs.
Bayern Munich's Harry Kane also remains in contention after a strong domestic campaign in Germany, while Kvaratskhelia's dominant run in the Champions League with PSG keeps him in the conversation despite his absence from the World Cup.
Where Mbappe's candidacy has drawn scrutiny is in the area of team trophies. Neither Real Madrid nor France won a major title during the season, a factor that some voters are expected to weigh against his exceptional individual output when the final verdict is revealed.
France legend snubs Mbappe for Ballon d'Or
Legit.ng previously reported about Bixente Lizarazu’s 2026 Ballon d’Or ranking, which places Mbappe behind Kvaratskhelia, Yamal and Dembélé.
The French World Cup winner said he judged contenders by their collective achievements in the Champions League and at the World Cup.
Source: Legit.ng