Karim Benzema snubbed Kylian Mbappe when naming France’s best three players for the year.
This week, Mbappe was named the French Footballer of the Year by France Football for the 2023-24 campaign, his final season at Paris Saint-Germain.
It is the fourth time the France skipper has won the prize, having also claimed it in 2022-23, 2018 and 2019.
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Mbappe netted 52 goals across all competitions at PSG, winning the Ligue 1 title for the sixth time as well as the Coupe de France, while he captained his national side to the semi-finals of Euro 2024, where they were beaten by eventual winners Spain.
Arsenal defender William Saliba came second in the voting while AC Milan shot stopper Mike Maignan was third.
Despite Mbappe clinching the title, however, the voting process revealed surprising details, including notable snubs from Benzema and ex-Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante.
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Spanish publication AS claimed Benzema opted not to award any points to Mbappe, his former team-mate with the national team.
Instead, the Ballon d’Or winner placed his votes for Eduardo Camavinga, Bradley Barcola, and Warren Zaire-Emery.
Meanwhile, Kante excluded Mbappe from his choices, instead favouring William Saliba, Jules Kounde, and Camavinga.
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Mbappe managed to edge out the Arsenal defender Saliba by five points in the final tally, securing 56 points.
“You have to be fair, William Saliba would also have deserved to win this trophy,” Mbappe told France Football upon winning the award, paying tribute to his international teammate.
Saliba enjoyed a stellar campaign at Arsenal, running Manchester City close for the title for a second year in succession and featuring in the Premier League Team of the Season.
The centre-back also cemented a position as a regular starter for the France national team.
Topics: Kylian Mbappe, Karim Benzema, Arsenal, William Saliba
Chris Byfield