French 2023/24 Player of the Season Kylian Mbappe has claimed that Arsenal’s William Saliba would also have been a worthy recipient of the award.
Real Madrid's French forward #09 Kylian Mbappe (L) and Real Valladolid's Estonian goalkeeper #13 Karl Jakob Hein vie for the ball during the Spanish league football match between Real Madrid CF and Real Valladolid FC at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on August 25, 2024. (Photo by PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU/AFP via Getty Images)
Photo by PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU/AFP via Getty Images
Kylian Mbappe was recently presented with France Football’s Player of the Season award for the 2023/24 campaign, having narrowly come out on top in the voting.
Votes are cast by former winners of the trophy, with each voter casting three votes for their top-three players. Mbappe ultimately won with 56 points, but that only put him marginally ahead of Arsenal’s William Saliba on 51.
“We have to be fair. [Saliba] would have deserved it too,” Mbappe admitted afterwards.
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 02: William Saliba of Arsenal warms up prior to the Premier League match between Newcastle United FC and Arsenal FC at St James' Park on November 02, 2024 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)
Photo by George Wood/Getty Images
We know the identity of at least one of the voters for Saliba, with Karim Benzema putting Eduardo Camavinga as his first choice, Bradley Barcola in second, and Saliba in third.
Interestingly, the former Real Madrid man didn’t name the current Madrid number nine in his top-three.
MADRID, SPAIN - SEPTEMBER 21: Joan Garcia of RCD Espanyol saves a shot from Kylian Mbappe of Real Madrid during the LaLiga match between Real Madrid CF and RCD Espanyol de Barcelona at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on September 21, 2024 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images
Saliba had an excellent 2023/24 campaign on an individual level, playing every minute in the Premier League for Arsenal as the Gunners narrowly missed out on the title.
The centre-back’s form earned him a place in Didier Deschamps’ France side for Euro 2024, and once again he played every minute up to their semi-final defeat to Spain. He helped France keep four clean sheets in six games along the way.
Ultimately, the voters just about opted for Mbappe, but Saliba’s name is evidently also a popular one in France. It’s good of Mbappe to admit that it was a close call.
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