Real Madrid ace Kylian Mbappe spoke about how he felt seeing his former club Paris Saint-Germain win the Champions League, amid snubbing FC Barcelona rival Lamine Yamal as a Ballon d'Or favourite.

Mbappe of course left PSG on a free transfer last summer to become a Galactico at the Bernabeu.

Failing to deliver a maiden UCL to the Parc des Princes after seven years in the French capital, he clinched the Golden Boot as Europe’s top marksman in 2024/2025 but was made to watch on as PSG finally did the job on the continent without him and Los Blancos finished the term without major silverware.

On international duty this weekend with France, who must play a third place playoff against Germany in the Nations League after losing a semifinal to Spain, Mbappe claimed that he was unaffected by Luis Enrique’s men becoming kings of Europe at their first attempt without him, while he also doesn’t view Madrid’s campaign as a failure.

“We have won two titles [the UEFA Super Cup and Intercontinental Cup], that is not a failure. It’s true that we lost important games, but it was an enriching year. PSG have won the Champions League without me and that doesn’t affect me. It’s a good thing,” Mbappe stated.

“I was happy, they went through so many hardships, which I also knew. I’ve gone through all those stages of PSG except for the victory. But they are the best team in Europe. I don’t remember seeing a 5-0 win [against Inter Milan]

in a final. They deserve it 100%, they have become the team that everyone wants to beat.

“I don’t think I’ve left too soon, my story was over, it had to end. I don’t feel any bitterness, I had reached the end of a road. I tried everything, but fate wanted them to win without me,” he added.

With Spain’s Nations League final foe set to be Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo has spoken about Lamine Yamal, not putting too much pressure on the youngster, and his chances of winning the Ballon d’Or.

For Mbappe, though, who is once more almost certain not to get his hand on the sport’s highest individual prize, it is his national team and former club teammate Ousmane Dembele that should get the nod.

“I don’t think it needs to be explained. There is talk of Lamine Yamal and Dembele, I vote for Dembele. It’s very clear,” said the 26-year-old.

Though as said he is not considered a frontrunner in what is deemed to be a two-horse affair, Mbappe can improve his chances of being a dark horse in the Ballon d’Or race by helping Real Madrid win the inaugural version of the newly-reimagined Club World Cup in the coming weeks.