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Thierry Henry has said Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe should be awarded the 2026 Ballon d'Or.

Mbappe is regarded as one of the main contenders for the 2026 honour, which is due to be announced next month. The France forward was included in the 30-man shortlist this week and has also made it clear that he believes he should win the award.

The 27-year-old did not lift a major trophy with club or country in 2025/26, but he still produced an outstanding individual campaign. Mbappe finished as the top scorer in La Liga, the Champions League and the 2026 World Cup, and he also broke the World Cup's all-time goalscoring record during the summer.

Henry feels there is no obvious frontrunner for the Ballon d'Or, but he believes Mbappe merits the prize.

"It's not as easy as it was last year. Remember when I said [Ousmane] Dembele, Dembele, Dembele. It was clear it was going to be that," he told CBS Sports.

"I think this year it's a bit more complicated. If you look at Harry Kane, it's not me [saying this] but the best player in Germany last year was Michael Olise. If you ask people in England who had the best World Cup, they would say Jude Bellingham. Then I move on to Jude Bellingham, maybe his season wasn't too great at Real Madrid.

"Then you go to Rodri. He was outstanding at the World Cup, Player of the Tournament, but he didn't play so much during the season. Lamine Yamal, you will say he didn't have a good World Cup because he arrived injured.

"We move on to Erling Haaland. How are you going to bypass this guy that scores in any angle, at every angle? But I think he's below some of the players that I mentioned.

"Then you go to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, he wasn't in the World Cup. You move on to Lionel Messi, and I think if they [Argentina] had won the World Cup they would have brought the Ballon d'Or and the World Cup to him. If he won it, but he didn't, unfortunately for him.

"That leaves you with Michael Olise and, my favourite, Kylian Mbappe. People will tell me that he didn't win anything. I think it's happened in history that a Ballon d'Or winner won it without winning something.

"For me, it's Kylian. When you see what he has achieved individually. Top goalscorer in the Champions League, top goalscorer in La Liga, and also in the World Cup. Michael Olise has the same thing with assists. When you think about the amount of goals he has already in the World Cup, it's just crazy. I would personally go for him, with Michael Olise close [second]."