MANCHESTER, England (AP) — By the age of 19 Kylian Mbappe had won the World Cup, become one of the most expensive soccer players ever and was labeled the heir-apparent to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Seven years later, and with Messi and Ronaldo ...

Former winners, World Cup hopefuls and even two veteran superstars are all in contention to win the next Ballon d’Or.

After a season defined by disappointment, choosing the best Real Madrid player of 2024-25 is no easy mission. That is partly down to injuries — several key players, including Dani Carvajal, David Alaba and Eder Militao, have been sidelined for much of ...

Some teams can become rather reliant on their superstar striker, so we took a look at the data behind Los Blancos.

Kylian Mbappe, Real Madrid's best player of the season so far, will miss the match against Real Betis today. Mbappe played in Real Madrid's previous match in La Liga against Sevilla on December 20, 2025. Real Madrid won 2-0 at home, and Mbappe scored his 18th league goal of the season via a penalty kick.

The most startling thing about the prolonged dip in form that Kylian Mbappe endured in the second half of last year was the unnerving suspicion, watching him play, that his legendary powers of acceleration might somehow have deserted him. He remained, of ...