Messi has won the Ballon d’Or five times and he is on par with Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.
Both Messi and the France international have been included in the 30-man shortlist for this year’s edition.
Mbappe came fourth in the 2018 Ballon d'Or award and won the Kopa Trophy, presented to the best-performing player under the age of 21.
Messi won the La Liga title with Barcelona last season and scored 51 times in all competitions for the Blaugrana.
The 32-year-old was voted as the FIFA best Footballer of the year, beating the likes of Virgil Van Dijk and his rival Ronaldo to the prestigious prize, and his goal scoring feat was rewarded with both the Pichichi award and the European Golden Boot.
Mbappe was speaking to Der Spiegel, and he believes the Barcelona captain deserves to win the Golden Ball.
“Messi. In individual terms, he was the best this year,” the former Monaco forward said.
Mbappe also admitted that he is suffering from self-doubt and he sometimes questions his own ability.
He added: “Sometimes I'm worried, I'm scared, if you fail as a player, you're in doubt, and when you lose in a big match, the question is, is this the end of it? It was nice, but now it's over!
“But that will not last long, because the good thing about football is that you do not have much time to think.”
The 21-year-old has netted nine goals in 12 appearances for the Ligue 1 champions already this season despite his injury problems
