Lionel Messi, formerly of Paris Saint-Germain, won his seventh Ballon d’Or on Monday. Former PSG teammate Kylian Mbappé and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland trailed the Argentine.

Mbappé officially congratulated the 2022 FIFA World Cup champion on Instagram. The Frenchman said that Messi should have won the prize. Is it possible, though, that the PSG star reacted differently behind the scenes?

Benjamin Quarez, a reporter for Le Parisien, shared the winger’s first response after hearing that Messi had won the prize.

“He was disappointed,” Quarez stated on Thursday’s L’Equipe du Soir (via Le10Sport). He scored a hat trick in the World Cup final and came in third place for the Ballon d’Or.

Mbappé will finish the 2023–24 season with a chip on his shoulder, according to most predictions. He’ll want to win the Ballon d’Or in 2024, and there are options to build up his campaign.

The striker would have an excellent case for the trophy if he led France to win at the UEFA Euro 2024 and maybe even won an Olympic gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Norway failed to qualify for the Euros in the group stage, hence Haaland may not participate unless they make it to one of the three open playoff positions. It is possible that Mbappé may win the 2024 Ballon d’Or if PSG advances deep in the UEFA Champions League and he wins two international titles next summer.