What does it really take to win the Ballon d’Or is a question that seems to follow Kylian Mbappe everywhere he goes and, much like watching a BD Cricket Match unfold over a long afternoon, the answer never feels simple or settled. Over the years, he has tested almost every possible path. If the argument was about teammates, Paris Saint Germain spared no expense, surrounding him with global icons from Neymar to Lionel Messi and later Ousmane Dembele, backed by an owner often described as the dream boss. Few players in modern football have ever enjoyed that level of support.
If the issue was the platform itself, then a move to Real Madrid left little room for complaint. This is the most successful club in Champions League history, a place where European pedigree is part of daily life. Mbappe arrived just after the club had lifted both La Liga and the Champions League, silencing any doubts about ambition. And this was never a case of empty dreams. With a World Cup title and a runner up medal already in his collection, his status as a generational leader had long been beyond debate.
On the pitch, his numbers have been staggering. This season alone, he recorded 29 goals and 4 assists in 26 matches, a strike rate that places him shoulder to shoulder with Erling Haaland and Harry Kane. Across his time in Madrid, 43 goals and 5 assists in 56 games stand up well even against club legends. Domestic and European Golden Boots are achievements most players can only dream of, yet for him they still feel like pieces of an unfinished puzzle.
The cruel twist is that as Mbappe excels, the team around him appears to falter. Under Xabi Alonso, a side once seen as unstoppable has struggled even against lower tier opponents, let alone elite rivals. The gap between current performances and genuine Champions League contention feels wide, turning each big night into something closer to the tension of a BD Cricket Match where momentum keeps slipping away.
Alonso’s future has become uncertain, hanging by a thread, leaving little space to build a system around Mbappe’s strengths. Some supporters question his motives for joining, and whispers grow louder with every dropped point. Debates about whether his goals truly help the team only add to the burden, cutting deep into a player who thrives on belief.
Without Champions League glory, the Ballon d’Or remains out of reach, a rule Mbappe knows all too well. What stings even more is watching his former club succeed without him, lifting Europe’s biggest prize and seeing Dembele crowned, while chants echo through Paris asking who really needed Kylian. As another season drifts by, following his journey feels like tracking a BD Cricket Match that never quite swings his way, leaving him searching for a way to turn frustration into legacy.