Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo: Kylian Mbappe Chooses His Greatest Ballon d'Or Winner

• Kylian Mbappe was asked to pick the greatest Ballon d'Or winner in a rapid-fire question session
• The Real Madrid superstar worked his way through a bracket of legends before facing the ultimate Messi vs. Ronaldo choice
• Mbappe is in contention for this year's prize alongside Barcelona's Lamine Yamal and Harry Kane of Bayern Munich

Kylian Mbappe, one of the frontrunners for this year's Ballon d'Or, has shared his take on the greatest winner of the prestigious prize in a revealing rapid-fire exchange.

The 27-year-old was put through a bracket-style challenge in which he was asked to choose between pairs of celebrated players, each round eliminating one until only the two greatest of all time remained.

Who is the greatest Ballon d'Or winner?

Mbappe moved through the early rounds with surprising conviction, repeatedly backing Paris Saint-Germain teammate Ousmane Dembélé over the likes of Karim Benzema, Rodri, and Luka Modric. The choices drew laughs, but he pressed on.

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Things shifted when Ronaldinho entered the picture. Mbappe dropped his loyalty to Dembélé and sided with the Brazilian showman, only to then pick Ronaldo Nazário, known as R9, over Ronaldinho in the next round.

From there, R9 beat Johan Cruyff and Michel Platini, before Zinedine Zidane edged out the Brazilian striker.

Then came the moment Zidane met Lionel Messi, and Mbappe did not hesitate: he chose the Argentine. That set up the ultimate question: Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo?

Messi vs Ronaldo: Mbappe chooses Ballon d'Or GOAT

After navigating the entire bracket without much hesitation, Mbappe reached his limit at that final pairing.

Rather than commit to either man, he chose to use what he called a "Pass Joker," effectively declining to answer.

"Karim Benzema or Ousmane Dembélé? Ousmane Dembélé. Ousmane Dembélé or Rodri? Ousmane Dembélé. Ousmane Dembélé or Luka Modric?

"Ah... Ousmane Dembélé? Ousmane Dembélé or Kaka? Ousmane Dembélé? Ousmane Dembélé ou Ronaldinho? Ah, Ousmane, sorry! Ronaldinho! Ronaldinho or R9? R9. R9 or Johan Cruyff? R9.

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Mbappe's willingness to rank Zidane above R9 and then Messi above Zidane gives some indication of where his loyalties lie, but he stopped just short of the verdict the world wanted.

"R9 or Michel Platineau? R9. R9 or Zizou? Zizou. Zizou or Lionel Messi? Lionel Messi. Messi or Cristiano? Pass Joker? Pass."

Watch Mbappe's Ballon d'Or GOAT choice, as shared on X:

With Mbappe himself in contention for the 2026 Ballon d'Or, his views on who deserves the crown carry added weight this year, as cited by France24.

Sagna explains why Mbappe doesn't deserve Ballon d'Or

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that former France international Bacary Sagna had backed PSG winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to win the Ballon d'Or ahead of Kylian Mbappe.

Sagna praised Mbappe’s quality but questioned his impact for his team.

Source: YEN.com.gh