Kylian Mbappé (25) is currently not getting much love from his national coach.
The France captain finished ninth in the overall voting for the best men's player in FIFA's 'The Best' awards, ahead of his Real Madrid teammate Vinicius Jr. narrowly won the prize against Rodri (48-43).
France manager Didier Deschamps was among many to vote for the prestigious award, although his first choice was not what many expected. The Real Madrid forward ranked second in Deschamps' voting, below Vini Jr.
Deschamps has dropped the Paris-born attacker from his team from the previous two international matches.
Although he didn't get Deschamps' first-place vote, Mbappé received unexpected support from a former rival, with Olympique de Marseille defender Chancel Mbemba (30) putting him in his top spot. Mbappe's ex-teammates at Paris Saint-Germain, Achraf Hakimi (26) and Milan Skriniar (29), also ranked Mbappe at number 1, while the 2018 World Cup champion did not take part in the voting.
In two of the past three years, Mbappe has finished on the podium at 'The Best' awards, coming second in 2022 and third a year ago. Former PSG striker Lionel Messi, 37, was still in the top 10 despite withdrawing from the Big Five of European competitions, with the Inter Miami player finishing sixth in this year's voting.
In addition to Mbappé and Vini, three other Real Madrid players were in the top 10 this year, including Jude Bellingham (23), who came third, just ahead of Dani Carvajal (32), with the now retired Toni Kroos in seventh.
GFFN | Joel Lefèvre
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