“For me, there are two candidates whose individual performances have impressed me the most, and those are Michael Olise and his brilliant World Cup partner Kylian Mbappe,” Thomas Muller wrote in his newsletter, as quoted by Sky Sport Germany. With the Ballon d’Or winner set to be announced on October 26, the Bayern Munich veteran has publicly backed the two attackers as the top candidates for the prestigious award.
Muller Backs Olise and Mbappe Over Established Favourites
In his recent newsletter commentary, Muller cast aside traditional favourites such as his former Bayern Munich teammate Harry Kane and World Cup winner Lamine Yamal. Instead, the German forward focused his attention squarely on Michael Olise and Kylian Mbappe, pointing to their blend of individual brilliance, efficiency, and goal threat at club and international levels.
“The two combine spectacle with goal threat,” Muller wrote, as cited in reports from Sky Sport Germany. “In detail, they manage to be efficient with their finesse and power, and to make the whole thing look incredibly easy. For me, that’s the stuff of a world-class footballer. It simply needs a touch of magic.”
Record-Breaking Domestic and International Form for Olise
Olise’s inclusion in Muller’s top two stems from a dominant 2025-26 campaign that propelled Bayern Munich to both Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal titles. The French winger recorded 34 goal involvements in the German top flight alone—comprising 15 goals and 19 assists. That tally set a new record for a winger since Opta data collection began in the Bundesliga in the 2004-05 season.
Only Harry Kane, with 41 direct contributions, outperformed Olise in the Bundesliga. Olise extended his impact to the continental stage by netting five goals and adding seven assists across 13 Champions League fixtures. He subsequently carried that momentum into the World Cup, where he made history as the first player on record since 1966 to register seven assists in a single tournament edition.
That momentum has spilled directly into the 2026-27 season. Olise has already accumulated 11 goal involvements across all competitions—eight goals and three assists—highlighted by a hat-trick in a 7-0 dismantling of Union Berlin prior to the international break. “It’s nothing new how he converts those chances from outside the penalty area, but it’s still always a sight to behold,” Muller noted in his newsletter.
Mbappe Records High Goal Counts for Club and Country
On the other side of Muller’s endorsement sits Kylian Mbappe, whose scoring figures for both club and country anchor his Ballon d’Or case. Over the summer, Mbappe became the all-time leading goalscorer at World Cups, reaching 22 goals on the global stage. At club level, the French forward has netted 50 goals in 52 appearances for Real Madrid since the start of last season. Across Europe’s top five leagues, only Harry Kane—with 67 goals—has scored more club goals than Mbappe over that same timeframe.
Men's Ballon d'Or Presentation Takes Place October 26
The formal presentation for the men’s Ballon d’Or takes place on October 26.
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