Ballon d'Or 2026: Thibaut Courtois still disappointed for Kylian Mbappé

04.11.26 FT Champions League

AEK Athens

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Real Madrid

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Kylian Mbappé’s finish in the 2026 Ballon d'Or ranking continues to be a talking point. At Real Madrid, Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois still cannot understand how the France captain failed to lift the trophy this year.

Kylian Mbappé finished second in the 2026 Ballon d'Or. According to his teammate Thibaut Courtois, the France international has already turned his attention to his next challenge. Speaking to Canal+ after Real Madrid’s victory over AEK Athens on Wednesday (2-3), the Belgian goalkeeper said his teammate had already put the disappointment behind him.

Courtois unimpressed by the voting

The former Chelsea goalkeeper also took aim at the votes cast by some journalists. “Has Kylian got over it? Yes, it’s the people who vote, and sometimes it’s hard to understand some of the votes. Some journalists don’t put him in the TOP 10, nor Lamine Yamal, nor Kane… I don’t understand the way some journalists vote, but well, that’s how it always is. He’s trying to win next year’s Ballon d’Or; he’s started scoring, and we’ll try to win the Champions League or La Liga,” he said.

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Joshua SOSSOU

Editorfr, en, ar

As a sports fan, and particularly a football fan, I've been putting my writing talent to good use for a number of years now to promote African talent and the continent's football in general. On Foot Africa, enjoy reading each of my lines.

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