Eight Ligue 1 Uber Eats stars past and present were on the shortlist, such as Mbappé's former AS Monaco teammates Bernardo Silva and Fabinho and recent PSG prodigy Christopher Nkunku, while his France international strike partner Karim Benzema is the betting favourite to win October's award.

Mbappé signed a bumper new contract with Paris in May at the conclusion of a season in which he had contributed 39 goals and 26 assists in all competitions at a rate of one every 60 minutes he played, and he doesn't plan to wait long for such recognition.

"I want to win the Ballon d'Or very soon," he told France Football. "Like many do. Except that there are perhaps not many who dare to admit it. I'm still convinced that the hardest thing is to win the first one.

"I think my period between 18 and 21 allowed be to cement my place in the top 10. I wasn't an impactful enough player. For the last two years I've reached a new level, I'm more assertive on the pitch and am doing better in decisive matches. I short, I'm a more credible and serious candidate."

PSG colleague Lionel Messi was a surprise omission from the list, but the Argentine has started this season in blistering fashion with three goals and an assist from two games, and Mbappé thinks he has a special place in history.

"For everyone in my generation, the Ballon d'Or's associated with the battle between Leo and Cristiano," he explained to l'Equipe. "If I dig deep in my memory I also remember Ronaldinho, but it was then dominated by those two who shared the prize for so long.

"Every year, like everyone else, I wondered which one was going to win it. When you think about it, this mano o mano was pretty crazy. In the ceremony, it was always fun to watch them sitting next to each other and to try and guess who looked angrier because they knew they hadn't won."