Maurico Pochettino believes Lionel Messi should win this year’s Ballon d’Or, while he remains confident PSG can convince Kylian Mbappe to stay at the club.
The 30-man shortlist for this year’s award was announced last week, with Chelsea’s Champions League-winning duo N’Golo Kante and Jorginho, who has won the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year award, among the favourites.
But Pochettino feels Messi is the best player on the planet by huge margin despite a disappointing season with Barcelona last term, while Cristiano Ronaldo and Lewandowski round off his top three.
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Asked to name his winner for the award, which will be revealed next month, Pochettino told El Partidazo de COPE on Wednesday: ‘The Ballon d’Or should go to Messi without any doubt.
‘And if I didn’t coach Messi, I would still say Messi. I answer with my heart. I always say what I feel. ‘On the podium with him would have to be Lewandowski and Cristiano.’
However, despite not naming any Chelsea players in his own Ballon d’Or rankings, Pochettino feels the Blues are the favourites to retain the Champions League this campaign.
He added: ‘The favourite to win the Champions League is Chelsea, more than anything because they are the defending champion.’
This season, meanwhile, could be Mbappe’s last at the club with his contract set to expire next summer, though Pochettino hopes the French striker will commit his future to PSG.
He continued: ‘Mbappe is fine, he’s a calm boy with a lot of personality and a very sociable character, he is clear about things and loves football, he’s very mature for 22 years old.
‘Kylian will make the decision he has to make and the club will do everything possible to keep him, because we’re taking about one of the best players in the world at 22.
‘I’m left with the fact that the situation is open and in the future anything can happen, the position of a few months ago may change in the future.
‘PSG as a club certainly have the ambition and ability to persuade him and offer him things so that he can stay and be happy, the possibilities that he could change his mind are there.’
