A top PSG superstar feels Kylian Mbappe “deserves” to win the 2023 Golden Ball award more than Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland.

Moroccan footballer Achraf Hakimi has backed Kylian Mbappe to win football’s most prestigious individual award for the first time, after seeing the French striker make a brilliant start to the season by helping PSG to victory 2-0 against Borussia Dortmund in Champions League 2023/24.

Speaking to beIN Sports France, Hakimi said: “Compared to what he did last year, for me, Mbappe deserves to win the Ballon d’Or. He is a great player and I hope he has can win it this year.”

Messi is currently the leading candidate to win the Golden Ball award after winning the World Cup in Qatar last year with Argentina. Meanwhile, Haaland is also a strong candidate after scoring 56 goals in his first season for Manchester City, the team that won a historic treble last year.

As for Mbappe, the striker born in 1998 missed out on the 2022 World Cup title when France lost to Argentina in the final, but he was the top scorer of the tournament and scored 41 goals at the club level for PSG in the 2022 season/ 23.

Coach Luis Enrique’s team will next play on Sunday in Ligue 1 against Marseille – a match considered “super classic” in France.