At Valdebebas, with the international break leaving Real Madrid’s training ground quieter than usual, Thibaut Courtois has made his choice for football’s biggest individual prize: Kylian Mbappé.
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The Belgium goalkeeper believes his Real Madrid team-mate should win the next Ballon d’Or, with the ceremony scheduled to take place in London on 26 October.
Courtois is not away with Belgium during this international window, having agreed to step back from national-team commitments after the World Cup. Speaking during the break, he backed Mbappé to follow Ousmane Dembélé as the award’s recipient.
“Mbappé should win it,” Courtois said. “Everyone is amazed by his pace and the goals he scores.”
The Madrid goalkeeper also argued that the Ballon d’Or should reward the outstanding individual player rather than simply the footballer with the strongest collection of team trophies.
“It has to go to the best player, not the one who has won the most titles,” he said. “If that were the deciding factor, Dani Carvajal should have won it two years ago.”
