Kylian Mbappe reaches his Machiavellian best in time for Ballon d'Or vote

They call him "The Dictator" — and why not? French striker Kylian Mbappé has been dictating everything about global soccer since he burst onto the scene in 2018. His speed changed the game for international attackers; his on-the-ball skill forced every player around him to level up or be left behind. He's ruthless in pursuing what he wants and unequivocal when speaking about issues that matter. He's a force, both on and off the field. He's one of one.

Mbappé's breathtaking talent and easy intelligence are things worth celebrating, but they're rare enough — and intimidating enough — to earn him a reputation. Forget that he'd be running soccer on the back of them regardless: when people see Mbappé work, they're quick to accuse him of arrogance, of self-importance, of dictatorship, simply because it's easier to assign him a flaw than to celebrate his features. Mbappé, to his credit, has largely rolled with the punches, but he's taken more of them in 2026 than he has at any point in his career. 

It's easy to see why: The one-two hit of him and Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid is formidable enough to make even the most self-assured critics fearful. But locked within a Real Madrid stacked with big personalities — and indeed enough dictators to start a world war — Mbappé has yet again emerged from the mess as a leader worth following. He's hitting Machiavellian highs in the early days of Mourinho's tenure, and he's balancing the public's love of his talent with its fear of his astonishing potential.

The talent worth loving

Mbappé's bravura performance against Inter Milan in the opening matchday of the UEFA Champions League summed up what's made him so dangerous at Mourinho's Madrid. Free up top above Vinicius Jr. on the left wing and Jude Bellingham in the No. 10 slot, Mbappé has space to roam. He can create plays for his teammates and he can finish them, too — and sometimes, like against Inter, he can create and finish in one fell swoop.

Mbappé opened the scoring for Madrid by turning around Inter defender Yann Bisseck, firing a quick pass off to Brahim Diaz, then sprinting forward to receive Diaz's return on the tip of his sliding foot. It was creative, it was energetic and it was precise. Crucially, it was also completely out of step with the way Madrid played throughout the evening. The team struggled to break down Inter's famous five-man defense; its second goal, scored by midfielder Federico Valverde, came from an Inter mistake rather than a Madrid attack. It didn't matter. When Mbappé wanted to find a way through, he managed it — and Madrid set itself up in a way to ensure he had the space to do so.