Gareth Bale, the former Real Madrid winger, has made a surprising prediction, naming Kylian Mbappe as the winner of the 2025 Ballon d’Or award. This announcement is unexpected, considering Mbappe’s recent struggles at Real Madrid, where he joined in the summer after leaving Paris Saint-Germain. Despite his underwhelming performance, Bale believes that the French superstar will redeem himself and claim his first Ballon d’Or award.
Bale’s prediction is based on his observation that Mbappe is dealing with a confidence issue, which has been affecting his game. This is evident from his disappointing performance in several matches, including a 2-0 loss to Liverpool in the Champions League. Moreover, he was left out of Didier Deschamps’ national team squad for the UEFA Nations League action earlier this month. However, Bale believes that Mbappe will work through his struggles and emerge stronger in the coming months.
One might think that Bale’s prediction is based on his own experience playing at Real Madrid, where he won 16 major trophies, including five Champions Leagues and three La Liga titles. During his six-year stint at the Santiago Bernabeu, he never won the Ballon d’Or award, his highest finish being sixth place in 2016. Despite this, Bale has expressed little concern about the award, stating in a 2016 interview that “individual awards—I don’t think about them at all. They’re nothing that I want to think about. It’s for other people to sort out themselves. For me, I just want to work hard for the team and try to win as many titles as I can.”
This mindset reflects Bale’s focus on team success rather than individual accolades. Mbappe, on the other hand, has been a rising star in football, with several impressive performances on the pitch. His transfer to Real Madrid was expected to bring a new level of excitement to the Bernabeu, but his struggles have been a major disappointment.
However, Bale’s prediction suggests that he believes Mbappe has the potential to overcome his current struggles and dominate the sport. This is because Mbappe has shown flashes of brilliance in several matches, with an incredible ability to score goals and known for his lightning-quick speed and agility on the pitch. Furthermore, Mbappe has been praised for his work rate, commitment, and dedication to improving his game.
The pressure is now on Mbappe to turn his game around and prove himself as one of the best players in the world. With the 2025 Ballon d’Or award on the horizon, Mbappe will have to rise to the challenge and demonstrate his skills on the pitch if he hopes to claim the award. Despite the challenges he faces, Mbappe has the potential to follow in the footsteps of great French footballers like Thierry Henry and Zinedine Zidane, who have won the Ballon d’Or award in the past.
