If there’s one thing to be said for Kylian Mbappé (27), it’s the candour with which he speaks on every occasion. And with just a few weeks to go until the 70th Ballon d’Or ceremony, the French Real Madrid striker has once again chosen, in a lengthy interview with France Football, to take no detours in defending a season’s performance that could see him win the coveted award for the first time in his career.

“There has been no better player than me,” declared the Real Madrid striker, referring to a season in which he failed to lift a single trophy. It must be said that Mbappé has a few arguments to put forward in defence of his position. Starting with the 10 goals he scored at the World Cup.

“Being the all-time top scorer in World Cup history (22 goals), overtaking all the greatest legends in history, in the most important tournament sport has ever produced – that’s something that really sticks in the mind,” he emphasised. It’s a point that does indeed seem hard to dispute.

But excelling in what he describes as “the competition of the great players” is not the only achievement Mbappé can boast of. In his second season at Real Madrid, the Bondy-born player has once again stolen the show. With 42 goals in 44 appearances across all competitions, the Merengue number 10 has shone on every pitch he has graced, capping off his campaign by winning the top scorer awards in the Champions League (15 goals) and La Liga (25 goals).