Kylian Mbappe makes interesting admission about Real Madrid as he makes his pick for 2022 Ballon d'Or

• Mbappe has revealed that he is backing international teammate Karim Benzema to win the 2022 Ballon d’Or
• The Frenchman also boldly named himself in the top three of the favorites to win the prestigious accolade
• Lionel Messi, who won the award last year, did not make the final 30-man shortlist

Kylian Mbappe has boldly named himself among the top three candidates who should win the 2022 Ballon d’Or.

It was Mbappe’s teammate Lionel Messi who won the award last year, although the Argentine was a noticeable absentee from the 30-man shortlist this time.

This year, Karim Benzema is a heavy favorite to win the award, and Mbappe is among the people who back the Frenchman to win it.

Benzema is a fan-favorite to win the award, especially after everything he achieved with Real Madrid last season.

He was crucial for Los Blancos as they fought to the La Liga and Champions League double, emerging top scorer in the Spanish top flight.

Samir Handanovic's net worth, salary, contract, house, age, stats, latest news

Football

“My top three? I would say Benzema, myself, and Mané. I would say that this year is a success for Benzema. He’s 34 years old, has just had the season of his life, has won another Champions League and is often decisive," Mbappe told L'Equipe.

"If I were Karim, if I don’t win this, I’ll stop thinking about the Ballon d’Or forever. I want to win the Ballon d’Or very soon. Like many. Except that there are perhaps not many who dare to admit it. I’m still convinced that the hardest thing is to win the first.”

The Ballon d’Or has been dominated by Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo since 2008, with the cycle only being broken by Luka Modric in 2018.

Other favorites for this year’s award include Sadio Mane and Kevin de Bruyne, two players who had a very successful year in different respects.

Dusan Vlahovic’s salary, net worth, contract, Instagram, house, cars, age, stats, and latest news

Football

The winner of the coveted award is now set to be announced on October 17.

Why Messi missed out on 30-man shortlist

Elsewhere, a journalist from France Football has tried to break down the logic used to snub Lionel Messi from the 30-man Ballon d’Or shortlist in 2022.

According to one Emmanuel Bojan, Messi did not meet the criteria used to select the nominees as he had an underwhelming first spell in the Ligue 1 last season.

“The Argentinian was part of the discussions to integrate the 30, but the new criteria for the Ballon d'Or were unfavorable to him,” Bojan explained.