During a recent appearance on a live Twitch with American content creator IShowSpeed, Paul Pogba, the new midfielder of AS Monaco, unveiled his top 5 for the next Ballon d’Or. The event, which took place last Sunday, aroused a lot of interest, because Pogba also took the defence of Kylian Mbappé, stressing the insufficient recognition which the attacker of Real Madrid was the object of this season. The presentation of the Ballon d’Or, expected on 22 September at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, will determine the successor of Rodrigue, midfielder of Manchester City, to receive this prestigious award.

Paul Pogba’s ranking reveals a surprising composition. He placed Ousmane Dembélé first, followed closely by Lamine Yamal. Two Parisian players, Ashraf Hakimi and Vitinha, took third and fourth place respectively. In fifth position, Pogba chose to name Kylian Mbappé, arguing that his personal statistics, despite the absence of major collective titles with Real Madrid, are exceptional. In particular, he highlighted his title as the best scorer in Liga and Europe, as well as his performance in terms of goals and milestones.

Paul Pogba’s opinion on the Ballon d’Or raises the question of valuing individual performance against collective success. His choice to defend Kylian Mbappé, despite a less impressive collective balance sheet, highlights the importance attached to personal statistics in player evaluation. The answer to the question of who will win the Ballon d’Or will therefore remain suspended, but Pogba’s comments add an additional dimension to this prestigious competition, highlighting the complexity of the assessment of football talents.