Sports
Eden Hazard Already Picks Kylian Mbappe as Winner
The new year isn’t even one month old yet, but that hasn’t stopped former Chelsea and Real Madrid star Eden Hazard from picking his 2026 Ballon d’Or winner.
Ousmane Dembele lifted the biggest individual prize in world football just three months ago, but Hazard doesn’t believe the Frenchman will be awarded the Golden Ball this time around. Instead, he thinks one of Dembele’s teammates will scoop the honour.
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There is a lot of football still to be played and the 2026 World Cup will likely play a part in the selection of the Ballon d’Or winner. Team success has often played a role in recent years and league titles, European trophies and international prizes are still on offer for the world’s best players.
Eden Hazard Backs Real Madrid Star For Ballon d’Or Success
Hazard has piled the pressure on current Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe, who he thinks will succeed his France teammate Dembele. The 27-year-old has often been in the running for the prestigious award but has yet to get his hands on the Ballon d’Or.
Speaking to French publication Telefoot (per OneFootball), the retired Belgian winger was adamant Mbappe would win this time around. He said:
“He set the bar very high at the start of the season. Could Mbappe win the Ballon d’Or? I think he will. He’ll need to win the Champions League, La Liga, and go deep in the World Cup. But I have no doubts about him: the Ballon d’Or, he’ll get it.”
Hazard, who finished 8th place in 2015 and 2018, thinks the Bernabeu talisman has what it takes to guide his club and country to great success. That’s despite the chaos surrounding Real Madrid for large parts of the campaign so far.
Los Blancos’ No.9 has been in wonderful goalscoring form this term, netting 34 goals in 28 appearances across all competitions. His team haven’t been in great shape for the entire season, as shown by Xabi Alonso’s recent sacking, but Mbappe’s consistency in front of goal hasn’t dropped in the slightest.
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During his early days at AS Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain, it was expected that the versatile forward would take over from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo and dominate world football. That’s not quite been the case as Mbappe’s best finish in the Ballon d’Or rankings is third (2021).
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Even after starring as a teenager during France’s 2018 World Cup triumph, the rapid attacker only finished fourth. Hazard thinks that is about to change this year, already tipping Mbappe to scoop the award a whopping nine months before we will find out. He’s already one of the favourites, along with Erling Haaland, Lamine Yamal and Harry Kane.
Statistics in this article are courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 25-01-26.
