Kylian Mbappe has continued making his case for the Ballon d'Or, insisting his individual performances this season deserve serious consideration and admitting he would find missing out on the award genuinely difficult to accept.

Speaking in an interview with French outlet RFI, the Real Madrid forward pointed directly to his scoring record as the strongest argument in his favour.

"I had a great year individually, and that's the top criterion for the Ballon d'Or," he said.

Mbappe went further, highlighting his consistency across every major competition he featured in throughout the campaign.

"I was the top scorer of all big competitions," he added.

The Frenchman also expressed growing confidence that this could finally be the year he lands the honour, having repeatedly featured among the leading contenders in recent seasons without ever taking the final step.

"I'm feeling good about the Ballon d'Or this year, I think this could be the right year for me," he said.

Asked directly how he would react if the award went to someone else instead, Mbappe did not attempt to soften his response.

"I would be disappointed if I didn't win it," he said, before explaining the reasoning behind that honesty.

"I am a competitor, and when a competitor loses, he is sad. My competitive soul would be hurt," he added.

Mbappe earned his place among this year's 30 man shortlist following a productive season with Real Madrid, having also become the all time leading scorer in World Cup history, even though his side ultimately fell short of the trophy itself.

That gap in his silverware, missing a title with either club or country this season, remains widely viewed as working against his candidacy, prompting Mbappe to lean heavily on individual output rather than collective achievement when making his case publicly.

Real Madrid have endured a mixed start to their own campaign, suffering two La Liga defeats and surviving several further scares before the season's first international break.