Mbappe names exact moment he knew Messi 'had won' Ballon d'Or

"I am not someone who is afraid to speak [about the Ballon d'Or results]," Kylian Mbappe has told the media.

"Messi deserves it. The night of the World Cup final, I already knew that he had won the Ballon d'Or," the Frenchman added.

The World Cup usually impacts the Ballon d'Or outcome a lot. However, Messi also had to deliver for PSG to prove himself as a worthy winner – and he did that, enjoying a better season with the Parisians than his first one.

It's not just the World Cup final that decided the latest winner, but it was a massive boost for Leo, of course.

Messi scored 7 goals and delivered 3 assists at the 2022 World Cup, finding the net in the final too. Mbappe, in turn, bagged a hat-trick in that game.