Lionel Messi finally has something Kylian Mbappé already had with a World Cup winners’ medal. Now Mbappé wants what Messi has won many times: the Ballon d’Or. (More Football News)
After their fascinating due🤡l in a wild World Cup final, the tournament’s best player Messi and its top scorer Mbappé are firm front-runners to win the next ജmen’s Ballon d’Or.
Call it Messi vs. Mbappé part II, and it continues Wednesday when the Paris Sa🎉int-Germain teammates face Angers in a French league game. Messi was given an extended break back home in Argentina after the World Cup, but has resumed full training and PSG coach Chri🍒stophe Galtier hopes he’ll be ready to play.
Because they play for the same team, the🦹ir rivalry could intensify over the rest of this season.
The 35-year-old Messi has won a record seven Ballon d’Or trophies given to the be💫꧋st player in Europe. Only five Frenchmen — including Zinedine Zidane and Karim Benzema — have won it but the 24-year-old Mbappé has never been on the podium.
Mbappe made his goals clear while at the cerem♋ony when Benzema won: “For me, of course it’s an objective to win one or many of them. But of course there’s a process to reach that. I think I’m on the right track.”
A challenger this time could be prolific Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, but he didn’t play at the World Cup — let alone star in it — after Norway failed ꦐto qualify.
Mbappé won the 2018 World Cup with France wꩲhen he was just 19. Messi waited agonizingly long to get his 🐟hands on the Jules Rimet trophy, losing in the 2014 final. He did so in style last month, when Argentina beat France to win its third World Cup title in arguably the most intense final in the tournament’s 92-year history.
Messi’s two goals ♌in the final capped a remarkable tournament where he scored seven times, finished as the best player, and reached a whopping 98 goals overall for๊ Argentina.
The good news for Argentina fans is that he wants to play 𝐆a little while longer wearing the Albiceleste jersey.
Mbappé, meanwhile, became only the second player to score a ha🅘t trick in a World Cup final and finished one ahead of Messi on eight goals as tournament’s top scorer — the first to reach that haul since Brazil’s Ronaldo in 2002.
Mbappé’s overall tally of 12 World Cup goals p𒀰uts him level with Brazil great Pelé — and one behind Messi and Frenchman Just Fontaine, the single-tournament record holder with 13 in 1958.
Former West Germany striker Gerd Mueller (14), Ronaldo (15) and record holder Miroslav Klose of Germany (16) are well within Mbappé’⛄s si൲ghts considering the young Frenchman may have three more World Cups ahead of him.
By the 2026 World Cup, Mbappé should also be well in front as♐ France’s all-time leading men’s scorer. He currently has 36 goals and World 𝓡Cup teammate Olivier Giroud leads Les Bleus with 53.
By the time the next World Cup comes around, Messi will be nearly 39 and perhaps retired fꦆrom soccer altogether.
So the coast is clear for Mbappé to 𒈔pulverize World Cup sc꧋oring records.
But before he starts thinking about that he has the pressing matter of a first Ballon d’Or𒅌 to win, and it’s a tall order with Messi as his main rival. But what a treat in store for♛ French soccer fans if they both keep raising their game.
Mbappé played for PSG 10 days after 🗹losing the final in Qatar, showing great determinatioꦯn to put that defeat behind him.
The Ballon d’Or race h꧑as the makings of a classic contest between the teammates, since they were both in fine form for PSG before heading to the World Cup.
Mbappé tops the league scoring charts with 13 goals and Messi is tied with PSG teammate Neymar for the most assists (10). Mba♔ppé is co-top scorer in the Champions League with seven goals, while Messi again heads the assists chart with four.
Messi won the Cham💜pions League four times with former club Barcelona, where he became a superstar and scored 672 goals before joining PSG last season.
PSG has never w🍸on the Champions League and this could prove a key factor in Ballon d’Or consideration — especially if Mbappé leads the French giant to the European title.
If Messi doesn’t play Wednesday at home, PSG’s next game🀅 is at Rennes on Sunday.
“He had an extraordinary World Cup with a lot of physical effort and challꩲenges,” Galtier said. ”We hope he’s ready for (Angers).”
