Kylian Mbappe has some catching up to do on Lionel Messi if he’s ever to compete with the Argentinian icon in terms of silverware.
PSG’s shock elimination to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League semi-finals ensures that Mbappe will leave the club this summer without having lifted European football’s most prestigious trophy.
The World Cup winner has spent the last seven seasons at the Parc des Princes. In that time he’s won six Ligue 1 titles with the Parisiens, scoring considerably more goals than anyone else in the French top flight over that period, but ultimately his only success has been domestic.
Having failed to score home and away against Dortmund, it now appears increasingly likely that Mbappe’s wait for a first Ballon d’Or will continue until 2025, with the likes of Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior now ahead of him in the bookmakers’ odds.
Former team-mate Messi had already won three Champions Leagues, three Ballon d’Or and three European Golden Shoes at the same age (25) – trophies that Mbappe is yet to get his hands on.
“As I said, I am not someone that is afraid. I have no problem, the ranking is what it is,” Mbappe told reporters after Messi picked up a record-extending eighth Ballon d’Or last year, in large part due to leading Argentina to the World Cup ahead of Mbappe’s Les Bleus.
“Messi deserves it. When Messi wins the World Cup, Messi has to win the Ballon d’Or. He’s one of the best players in history, if not the best.
“(Erling) Haaland had a great season, me too… but next to winning a World Cup, it doesn’t weigh much. On the night of 18th December I knew that I had lost World Cup… and Ballon d’Or too. Leo deserved it.”
Mbappe’s rate of goals and assists actually compares more than favourably to Messi at the same age, but he lags considerably behind when it comes to trophies – although he has won a World Cup, which Messi didn’t get his hands on until he was 35.
With a move to Real Madrid all but confirmed this summer, it appears only a matter of time before Mbappe wins the Champions League, Ballon d’Or and European Golden Shoe. But he’s got some catching up to do.
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Here’s how Messi and Mbappe’s trophy hauls compare prior to their 26th birthday:
Kylian Mbappe’s trophy haul at age 25:
Club: Ligue 1 x 7, Coupe de France x 3 [final vs Lyon to come], Coupe de la Ligue x 2, Trophee des Champions x 2
Youth: UEFA Euro Under-19 x 1
International: World Cup x 1, UEFA Nations League x 1
Individual: Ligue 1 Player of the Year x 4, World Cup Golden Boot x 1, Ligue 1 Top Goalscorer x 5 (six with 2023-24 all but confirmed)
Lionel Messi’s trophy haul at age 25:
Club: La Liga x 6, Champions League x 3, Copa del Rey x 2, Supercopa de Espana x 4, UEFA Super Cup x 2
Youth: FIFA Under-20 World Champions x 1, Summer Olympics x 1
International: None
Individual: Ballon d’Or x 3, European Golden Shoe x 3, La Liga Best Player x 5, Pichichi (La Liga top scorer) x 3
