Kylian Mbappe Golden Boot NOT Enough To WIN Him The Ballon d'Or Says French Football Expert.

Kylian Mbappe's European Golden Boot heroics won't be enough to secure him the Ballon d'Or award, according to French football expert Jonathan Johnson.

The Frenchman has clinched both the Golden Boot and the Pichichi Trophy, outshining rivals like Robert Lewandowski in La Liga and Mohamed Salah in the race for Europe’s top scorer.

Despite having a slow start to life at Madrid, Mbappe quickly became the club’s talisman as he picked up form in the latter part of the season, he won the European Golden Boot, finishing the 2024/25 season as the continent’s top league scorer with 31 goals in LaLiga.

This wasn't looking so in the earlier part of the season, as Barcelona star Lewandowski with a stellar first half of the season, was almost considered the runaway leader in the race for this season’s Pichichi Trophy until Mbappe showed up.

The prestigious award is given to the top-scorer in each La Liga season, previously won by legends such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The 2024/2025 LaLiga season came to an end on Sunday 25 May, with Barcelona thrashing Athletic Club 3-0 at San Mames.

Lewandowski rounded off the campaign with a brace in the game, while Dani Olmo converted a late penalty.

The Polish man ended the tally with 27 goals, However, his goals were not enough for him to win the top goalscorer award in Spain.

He was four goals shy of Mbappe, who joins legends such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldo Nazario, Karim Benzema and Ruud van Nistelrooy in the list of Real Madrid players who have won the trophy.

 

Mbappe becomes the 29th Madrid player to win the iconic Pichichi, more than any other club in Spanish football. The 25-year-old also becomes the first Real Madrid player since Ruud van Nistelrooy in 2007 to do so in their debut season. He also won the Gerd Müller Trophy, given to the highest-scoring player in a single club season worldwide.

Signed on a free transfer in the summer of 2024 from PSG, Mbappé’s arrival to the Spanish capital was one of the most anticipated moves in football history. Within a year, he has justified the hype, leading Madrid’s frontline brilliantly.

Across 56 appearances across all competitions, the French forward netted 43 goals in total, including 31 strikes in 34 games in La Liga, earning 62 coefficient points towards the Golden Boot. This feat crowned Mbappé as the leading scorer in both the Spanish league and all of Europe during his debut season with Los Blancos.

Thanks to UEFA’s weighted scoring system, which values goals in Europe’s top five leagues at two points each is more highly than those in lower-ranked leagues, as he also takes home the award as Europe’s top scorer across domestic competitions.

Although Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres scored more goals overall, netting 39 in the Portuguese league, his total fell short in the coefficient rankings, where each of his goals was worth only 1.5 points.

Gyökeres finished with 58.5 points due to the Primeira Liga’s lower coefficient.

Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah was also in the hunt, sitting on 56 points ahead of the Premier League’s final matchday. The Egyptian needed a hat-trick to tie Mbappé but managed only one goal in a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace, finishing third.

Although Salah couldn't close the gap in Europe’s scoring race, he secured the Premier League Golden Boot this season with 28 goals for the first time in his career.

According to French football expert Jonathan Johnson, he said he does not see Mbappe as a leading contender for Europe’s most prestigious prize, even if Real Madrid win the Club World Cup.

Real Madrid were knocked out of the Champions League by Arsenal in the quarter final, and losing the La Liga title to bitter rivals Barcelona, Mbappe’s 43 goals ultimately came to little avail for Los Blancos.

Meanwhile, Mbappe's compatriot Ousmane Dembele is enjoying a career-defining season, having helped PSG secure a domestic double, which could turn into a historic treble if they defeat Inter Milan in the Champions League final on 31 May. 

With the Champions League carrying significant weight in the Ballon d’Or race, Dembélé, along with Raphinha and Donnarumma, could emerge as frontrunners for the coveted award.

Johnson speaking on the Ensemble PSG podcast commented on Mbappe’s Ballon d’Or chances, saying: "I think, specific to Mbappe and Real Madrid’s situation, it would be ridiculous for Mbappe’s Ballon d’Or weight to hinge solely on scoring a handful of goals and helping them win the Club World Cup." However, he also added a note of caution: "But there’s a lot of nonsense in modern football, unfortunately. I’m not going to say it will happen, but I wouldn’t totally rule out some stupidity like that either."

Real Madrid are set to face Saudi club Al Hilal in the FIFA Club World Cup on 19 June as a new era is taking shape at the Santiago Bernabeu. 

Xabi Alonso is stepping into the manager’s role vacated by Carlo Ancelotti and Luka Modric preparing his emotional farewell as he will play his final matches for the club during the Club World Cup.

2024/25 LALIGA TOP SCORERS:

1. Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid): 31 goals

2. Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona): 27 goals

3. Ante Budimir (Osasuna): 21 goals

4. Ayoze Perez (Villarreal): 19 goals

5. Raphinha (Barcelona): 18 goals

6. Alexander Sørloth (Atletico Madrid): 17 goals

7. Julian Alvarez (Atletico Madrid): 17 goals

8. Oihan Sancet (Athletic Bilbao): 15 goals

9. Kike (Alavés): 12 goals

10. Dodi Lukebakio (Sevilla): 11 goals.