Thomas Muller has named Michael Olise and Kylian Mbappe as the two players who impressed him most during the 2025-26 season, leaving Harry Kane and Lamine Yamal out of his preferred Ballon d’Or candidates.
The Germany legend revealed his choices in his monthly newsletter, according to Tribuna, highlighting the individual performances of Olise and Mbappe.
Muller said the pair had stood out because of their ability to combine creativity, attacking threat and goalscoring.
“For me, there are two candidates who impressed me more than anyone else with their individual performances: Michael Olise and his ideal partner at the World Cup, Kylian Mbappe,” he wrote.
The 37-year-old believes both players have the qualities required to be recognised as the best in the world.
“Both combine entertainment and excitement with danger in front of goal. In the finer details, they are effective through skill and power, while making everything look incredibly easy,” Muller added.
“For me, those are the ingredients of a player who can win the award for the world’s best player. All that is needed is a touch of magic.”
Olise enjoyed a successful trophy-winning campaign with Bayern Munich, helping the club secure the domestic double alongside Kane. However, his goalscoring figures were significantly lower than those of the England striker.
Mbappe, meanwhile, did not win a major trophy with Real Madrid during the previous season. France’s World Cup campaign also ended in the semi-finals when they were beaten by Spain, who went on to win the tournament.
Kane finished the assessment period as the leading scorer among the players competing for the award, having scored 73 goals for club and country.
Yamal, meanwhile, won La Liga with Barcelona and the World Cup with Spain.
Despite those achievements, Muller did not include either Kane or Yamal among his two preferred candidates for the Ballon d’Or.
