Juventus ace Blaise Matuidi has claimed that he believes Paris Saint-Germain prodigy Kylian Mbappé could be in the running to win this year’s Ballon d’Or award, but has joked that he doesn’t want to speculate too much so as not to ‘make enemies’ with other candidates.
Discussing the coveted award, via Calcio Mercato, the 31-year-old talked up the chances of his international teammate, and said: “Ballon d’or? Yes I know that Mbappé is one of the candidates.
“He proved that he is a great player even if he is still so young. He really can do impressive things with the ball and I am very happy that he plays for the French national team.”
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However, Matuidi was cautious with his predictions, and hinted that he wouldn’t provide a definitive answer so as not to upset other nominees, adding: “Favourites to win the Ballon d’or? I don’t know plus I don’t want to make any enemies (laughing)!
“Let’s just hope that the best candidate wins. I think Mbappé has it all so he deserves to be talked about. Ronaldo? He is great too!”.
There is certainly a case to be made for Mbappé to win the award, after his dynamic performances for his country saw France win the 2018 World Cup last summer. The 19-year-old has also been on fire for his club, Paris Saint-Germain, netting a hat-trick in just 12 minutes at his side’s last outing against Lyon.
In other news, Juve are believed to have joined the likes of Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur in the race to sign Ajax wonderkid Matthijs de Ligt. The 19-year-old shone in the Netherland’s 3-0 hammering on Germany on Saturday, and is being tipped as a real star for the future after making a big impression on a number of elite football clubs with his performances.