‎Who will win the 2026 Ballon D'or? 🏆⚽

[yixichloro2xx]

HERE IS THE NEW BALLOON D'OR CANDIDATE .
‎
‎I didn't want to add Lionel Messi in the list of my Ballon d'or candidate, but I have been seeing multiple post and news that he might get into the top 5.
‎To be honest he deserves a spot in this conversation, 39 year old man who broke alot of records in this world. No one has ever done what he did at that age in the greatest tournament of all time, even if he doesn't win it.
‎‎

I have no problem with Messi being in the top 5, as long as they don't over-inflate his contributions and give him the award because there are 2-3 candidates that did better than him last season. Ngl, seeing Messi of the 2022/2023 season where I thought Haaland would win it (UCL title + EPL + FA cup) with 50+ goals. A lot of players will only get one chance to win the Ballon d'or so they shouldn't just give it to Messi because he is one of the legends of the game (which I agree to).

Yes, he only deserve to be in the top 6 spot, I don't think there's any chance for him to win the Ballon d'or. Hadn't been he won the world cup, Golden boot and golden ball, this conversation everyone has been saying would have ended. He would have 90% chance of winning the Ballon d'or after that performance he showcased. Him playing in MLS also hinder his chances, he wouldn't have been part of the candidates if he didn't participate in the world cup. The only thing left for him to win is the super Ballon d'or, which will be awarded in 2029, which makes him end up with total of 9 Ballon d'or.

[KTChampions]

Does anyone understand who Yamal has started campaigning for now? Haaland, Mbappé, Olise, Kane, or Kvaratskhelia?

Lamine Yamal questions modern Ballon d’Or criteria and explains what should matter: ‘People prioritise factors that have nothing to do with it’

“The problem now is that people are prioritising factors that have nothing to do with the Ballon d’Or. For example, when they say a PSG player has to win it because they’ve won the Champions League.”

Yamal’s distinction is straightforward: winning a major competition should be recognised separately from being judged the world’s best individual player.

“When you win the Champions League, PSG are awarded the Champions League trophy for being the best team, and that’s the prize that belongs to PSG.

He made the same argument about goalscoring statistics.

“Not to a player who’s scored 80 goals, because when you score 80 goals, you’re given the ‘top scorer’ award for the season. These are very different things that people aren’t understanding.

https://barcauniversal.com/lamine-yamal-questions-modern-ballon-dor-criteria-and-explains-what-should-matter-people-prioritise-factors-that-have-nothing-to-do-with-it/

Yamal literally says that neither titles nor statistics mean anything (although, in my view, it’s easy to determine which forward is better - the one who scored 70 goals or the one who scored 5), and that one simply needs to find "the best." Did anyone catch exactly what Yamal is saying? I can see he’s spouting some incoherent nonsense and suggesting we rate players like movies - simply based on whether we like them or not. It is clear that no single factor can be the deciding one, given that we are talking about individual players in a team sport, yet it remains unclear how to stay grounded in reality.

[kingstep]

Yamal literally says that neither titles nor statistics mean anything (although, in my view, it’s easy to determine which forward is better - the one who scored 70 goals or the one who scored 5), and that one simply needs to find "the best." Did anyone catch exactly what Yamal is saying?

There is a lot of sense in his assertion because the reality is that being in a team that wins the world cup and the champions league is not even enough reason why you should be considered the best football player in the world which is what the balon d'or represent. of cause, there is a place of checking up stats and seeing that a certain player contributed more to enabling a team win a major trophy but that is still not enough. individual play and brilliance across both major and minor league should rather be the deciding factor since you are not awarding the best team but rather you are awarding the best player.

[KTChampions]

Yamal literally says that neither titles nor statistics mean anything (although, in my view, it’s easy to determine which forward is better - the one who scored 70 goals or the one who scored 5), and that one simply needs to find "the best." Did anyone catch exactly what Yamal is saying?

There is a lot of sense in his assertion because the reality is that being in a team that wins the world cup and the champions league is not even enough reason why you should be considered the best football player in the world which is what the balon d'or represent. of cause, there is a place of checking up stats and seeing that a certain player contributed more to enabling a team win a major trophy but that is still not enough. individual play and brilliance across both major and minor league should rather be the deciding factor since you are not awarding the best team but rather you are awarding the best player.

Now look at Yamal's stats in big games last season, in almost every one of them, if he didn't outright flop, he was invisible. It turns out he effectively rules himself out of the discussion, which is why I’m asking whose case he’s actually making, given that he has nothing but titles to his name. If you look at the overall stats, he doesn't make the cut, if you look at more specialized criteria, like big games, he falls short there, too. It seems he mainly wanted to attack Kane with his arguments, but he ended up hurting himself most of all.

[tiCeR]

...

Now look at Yamal's stats in big games last season, in almost every one of them, if he didn't outright flop, he was invisible. It turns out he effectively rules himself out of the discussion, which is why I’m asking whose case he’s actually making, given that he has nothing but titles to his name. If you look at the overall stats, he doesn't make the cut, if you look at more specialized criteria, like big games, he falls short there, too. It seems he mainly wanted to attack Kane with his arguments, but he ended up hurting himself most of all.

I have never really liked this award because I think it will always be skewed in terms of who can actually realistically win the award and it comes down to goal scorers (almost always). I remember when Cannavaro became the FIFA world footballer, but have there been any defenders who won either the Ballon D'or or became FIFA world footballer?

Maybe we disagree on this one, but in my opinion one of the best defenders the world has seen was Philipp Lahm, but he was never even close to winning an award like this. Same goes for a few other defenders who have been outstanding players. Now of course Messi and Ronaldo took away the award for so many years in aggregate.

As for Yamal, he is of course a great player, but I agree that consistency is still an issue. Sure many of the dribblings and finishes are world class, but there are still players with better consistency. 

[nelson4lov]

HERE IS THE NEW BALLOON D'OR CANDIDATE .
‎
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‎‎

~Snipped

Yes, he only deserve to be in the top 6 spot, I don't think there's any chance for him to win the Ballon d'or. Hadn't been he won the world cup, Golden boot and golden ball, this conversation everyone has been saying would have ended. He would have 90% chance of winning the Ballon d'or after that performance he showcased. Him playing in MLS also hinder his chances, he wouldn't have been part of the candidates if he didn't participate in the world cup. The only thing left for him to win is the super Ballon d'or, which will be awarded in 2029, which makes him end up with total of 9 Ballon d'or.

I agree 100%. Even as a CR7 fan, I recognize Messi's contributions and achievements last season and I totally agree he deserves a spot in the top 6. But when I would disagree is when anyone says that he should win it because there other candidates that did far more better than he did last season. I know its an unreal thing for him to be competing at his age but that's how much of a player he is. One of the greatest to ever do it.

My ranking still remains Harry Kane > Olise > Mbappe > Yamal.

Does anyone understand who Yamal has started campaigning for now? Haaland, Mbappé, Olise, Kane, or Kvaratskhelia?

[...]

Yamal literally says that neither titles nor statistics mean anything (although, in my view, it’s easy to determine which forward is better - the one who scored 70 goals or the one who scored 5), and that one simply needs to find "the best." Did anyone catch exactly what Yamal is saying? I can see he’s spouting some incoherent nonsense and suggesting we rate players like movies - simply based on whether we like them or not. It is clear that no single factor can be the deciding one, given that we are talking about individual players in a team sport, yet it remains unclear how to stay grounded in reality.

He is campaigning for himself. He tried to glaze Mbappe a few times but I can see through all of it that he is campaigning for himself. I think he might break down if he doesn't even end winning it just like it was with Vini Junior 2 years ago when it was clear he won't win it (despite the massive PR).

[KTChampions]

Does anyone understand who Yamal has started campaigning for now? Haaland, Mbappé, Olise, Kane, or Kvaratskhelia?

[...]

Yamal literally says that neither titles nor statistics mean anything (although, in my view, it’s easy to determine which forward is better - the one who scored 70 goals or the one who scored 5), and that one simply needs to find "the best." Did anyone catch exactly what Yamal is saying? I can see he’s spouting some incoherent nonsense and suggesting we rate players like movies - simply based on whether we like them or not. It is clear that no single factor can be the deciding one, given that we are talking about individual players in a team sport, yet it remains unclear how to stay grounded in reality.

He is campaigning for himself. He tried to glaze Mbappe a few times but I can see through all of it that he is campaigning for himself. I think he might break down if he doesn't even end winning it just like it was with Vini Junior 2 years ago when it was clear he won't win it (despite the massive PR).

He is making a shrewd strategic move to narrow the race down to two underdogs - Mbappé and himself in order to push Kane out of the conversation, and then attack Mbappé by highlighting that he has outperformed him in head-to-head competition across the board when it comes to titles. And he has already done so by attacking Mbappé with subsequent statements. But the problem is that, individually, Mbappé is superior to Yamal, and Kane hasn't actually dropped out of the conversation. Plus, as you correctly see, there is also Olise, which, in direct comparison with Yamal, is better on literally every point.

[sergiorus]

Even as a CR7 fan, I recognize Messi's contributions and achievements last season and I totally agree he deserves a spot in the top 6. But when I would disagree is when anyone says that he should win it because there other candidates that did far more better than he did last season. I know its an unreal thing for him to be competing at his age but that's how much of a player he is. One of the greatest to ever do it.

I'm not even a CR7 fan and I still don't see why he should be.... I mean, he doesn't even play in Europe, let alone a top league...

World Cup? Sure, Argentina made it to the finals but that was by pure luck (some say there was more than pure luck involved but let's not go there now) and the way Spain dominated them in the finals match just shows how undeserved Argentina's being there was.

As per Messi's personal contribution to Argentina's "luck", he didn't even score past the 1/8 stage. Didn't score against any world class teams either.

Sorry, seems nonsensical to me. He doesn't deserve to be even in top-10, as there are plenty of footballers who had a fantastic season in their top tier leagues but didn't play on the WC (Khvicha as the most obvious one)

[KTChampions]

~
As per Messi's personal contribution to Argentina's "luck", he didn't even score past the 1/8 stage. Didn't score against any world class teams either.

Sorry, seems nonsensical to me. He doesn't deserve to be even in top-10, as there are plenty of footballers who had a fantastic season in their top tier leagues but didn't play on the WC (Khvicha as the most obvious one)

Yes, it’s absolutely hilarious when they try to dig up some has-been from the Mickey Mouse league and drag him back into the Ballon d'Or conversation. Thanks to goals against Algeria, Egypt, Cape Verde, Austria, and Jordan 
But this is the son of FIFA, so there are no surprises, just like with the way the Argentina games were refereed.


The good news is that at some point the public's patience (even those who were neutral) ran out and the myth/legacy was destroyed. By the way, did you hear the news that Messi has returned to the national team for the second time? He’s set to play (a crucial match, haha) in a friendly against Benin A level of disgrace that haters could only dream of.

[GbitG]

....."Did you have ever seen someone who have major trophy + good individual performance" and FIFA didn't give him the this prestigious award...... 

I never see such kind of case.... So come on Dude...  don't dive too deep in hate....... It's a football and sometimes you favorite player didn't eligible for such spot. So it doesn't mean that the other is not a deservable.

It seems like you have no idea what you're writing about, but why don't you at least fact-check your statements? France won the World Cup in 2018, but Modrić received the Ballon d'Or. Germany won the World Cup in 2014, but Ronaldo received the Ballon d'Or. And so on. If you’re allergic to facts, then at least don’t make statements that can be instantly refuted. And there’s no need to make up stories about hatred, why bother, when you theoretically have facts to justify the award given to Yamal, even though he didn't make the list of top performers at the World Cup or in the Champions League?

I think you are just dodging my point..... 

You just pick one word of mine and put your own spin on it to represent your own opinion.....

I'm now leaning towards either Mbappe or Kane. Yes, it is a world cup year, but there was no outstanding Spanish player in the last year. Individually, Mbappe was brilliant both for club and country (in the World Cup). Harry Kane is another candidate, it has to be one of the two.

Never seen the ballon d'or given to player who went the entire season without a trophy - it's an individual award but team success is part of the requirements. You can't say you were the best when  your performance didn't benefit your team in any way. Unfortunately Mbappe falls into that category.

It's between Yamal and H. Kane this year..

Exactly that the fact but I don't know some people didn't like to acknowledge the fact....

However, time is ticking and soon we will see the winner

[Synchronice]

HERE IS THE NEW BALLOON D'OR CANDIDATE .
‎
‎I didn't want to add Lionel Messi in the list of my Ballon d'or candidate, but I have been seeing multiple post and news that he might get into the top 5.
‎To be honest he deserves a spot in this conversation, 39 year old man who broke alot of records in this world. No one has ever done what he did at that age in the greatest tournament of all time, even if he doesn't win it.
‎‎

I have no problem with Messi being in the top 5, as long as they don't over-inflate his contributions and give him the award because there are 2-3 candidates that did better than him last season. Ngl, seeing Messi of the 2022/2023 season where I thought Haaland would win it (UCL title + EPL + FA cup) with 50+ goals. A lot of players will only get one chance to win the Ballon d'or so they shouldn't just give it to Messi because he is one of the legends of the game (which I agree to).

Honestly, it's hard to not over-inflate his contributions because he is Messi after all. The guy has been an amazing player for decades. There are players who play well at first and then their quality declines but Messi, he is still one of the best in the world, even at the age of 39. I don't think any football player will repeat the same consistent success.
If Argentina won the FIFA World Cup 2026, he would 100% win the Ballon D'or but right now, I don't think that he will win it, however, he should be in top 5 to my mind.

[Livingleged]

I didn't want to add Lionel Messi in the list of my Ballon d'or candidate, but I have been seeing multiple post and news that he might get into the top 5.
‎To be honest he deserves a spot in this conversation, 39 year old man who broke alot of records in this world. No one has ever done what he did at that age in the greatest tournament of all time, even if he doesn't win it.
‎

In conversation like this, I always don’t want people to be talking about Messi’s age. Whether he’s 39 or less should not matter to decide if he’s worth mention among the top ten ballon d’or nominees. Well, I am not surprised at seeing Messi among the top 10 nominees, we all saw his performance at the FIFA World Cup,  and that’s evident enough that he really do deserve a spot on the top 10 list. But overstretching to top 5 might be very unlikely just because he never get to win the just concluded FIFA World Cup tournament, which is a great factor decider of who should win the Ballon d’or, and that’s one reason I don’t want to believe harry kane should rated this high.

[Derekfunds]

In conversation like this, I always don’t want people to be talking about Messi’s age. Whether he’s 39 or less should not matter to decide if he’s worth mention among the top ten ballon d’or nominees. Well, I am not surprised at seeing Messi among the top 10 nominees, we all saw his performance at the FIFA World Cup,  and that’s evident enough that he really do deserve a spot on the top 10 list. But overstretching to top 5 might be very unlikely just because he never get to win the just concluded FIFA World Cup tournament, which is a great factor decider of who should win the Ballon d’or, and that’s one reason I don’t want to believe harry kane should rested this high.

You are right, Lionel Messi did well both in club side and in nation side so appearing in the Ballon D'or award shouldn't amaze anyone because he was even the second top scorer in the world cup and he also finished at the finals. World cup is a Major and biggest trophy in football so I wouldn't be surprise if any of the players that won and did well in the club side is award it but like I always say what will deprive Harry Kane of winning will be the world cup. I saw a post on YouTube where they were mentioning Messi as favorite lol 🤣

[GbitG]

In conversation like this, I always don’t want people to be talking about Messi’s age. Whether he’s 39 or less should not matter to decide if he’s worth mention among the top ten ballon d’or nominees. Well, I am not surprised at seeing Messi among the top 10 nominees, we all saw his performance at the FIFA World Cup,  and that’s evident enough that he really do deserve a spot on the top 10 list. But overstretching to top 5 might be very unlikely just because he never get to win the just concluded FIFA World Cup tournament, which is a great factor decider of who should win the Ballon d’or, and that’s one reason I don’t want to believe harry kane should rested this high.

You are right, Lionel Messi did well both in club side and in nation side so appearing in the Ballon D'or award shouldn't amaze anyone because he was even the second top scorer in the world cup and he also finished at the finals. World cup is a Major and biggest trophy in football so I wouldn't be surprise if any of the players that won and did well in the club side is award it but like I always say what will deprive Harry Kane of winning will be the world cup. I saw a post on YouTube where they were mentioning Messi as favorite lol 🤣

All over the world people are watching Football. Some of them have good understanding and some of them haven't even understand the scale and that's the reason why they always just flying the nonsense point at discussion. So keep in mind that social media is full of shit. So don't fall on what they says......

However, let's jump on context.... No doubt Messi performance at the World Cup tournament was absolutely phenomenal even it won't make me surprised to see him on Balloon d'Or nominations list because he deserves it like we can't denied his quality. But for Balloon d'Or I will pick Lamine Jamal like nobody deserve more than him. He has major trophy as well as good individual performance.

[EL MOHA]

He is making a shrewd strategic move to narrow the race down to two underdogs - Mbappé and himself in order to push Kane out of the conversation, and then attack Mbappé by highlighting that he has outperformed him in head-to-head competition across the board when it comes to titles. And he has already done so by attacking Mbappé with subsequent statements. But the problem is that, individually, Mbappé is superior to Yamal, and Kane hasn't actually dropped out of the conversation. Plus, as you correctly see, there is also Olise, which, in direct comparison with Yamal, is better on literally every point.

The edge that Lamine Yamal is trying to use now is the World Cup and even when he was told that he didn’t perform so well in the World Cup he replied by saying it’s not statistic and that he contributed to even the goal that gave Spain the trophy by drawing two defenders in. Personally he is looking at trying to rubbish the statistics because that doesn’t goes down well with him and looking to actually see if the performance per big games actually would be his edge.

Personally I am still seeing this thing open until the end as the winner will most likely be any of the players that can market them selves better and other players are doing that already. What I don’t personally like is the fact that Harry Kane basically has no PR at the moment with even England not campaign enough for him nor even Bayern Munich too. I think him winning it will be great for Bayern and Bundesliga plus for England too since Michael Owen last won it

[Rhow]

I'm now leaning towards either Mbappe or Kane. Yes, it is a world cup year, but there was no outstanding Spanish player in the last year. Individually, Mbappe was brilliant both for club and country (in the World Cup). Harry Kane is another candidate, it has to be one of the two.

Never seen the ballon d'or given to player who went the entire season without a trophy - it's an individual award but team success is part of the requirements. You can't say you were the best when  your performance didn't benefit your team in any way. Unfortunately Mbappe falls into that category.

It's between Yamal and H. Kane this year..

I think what you said is certainly logical but in a different way. Many players have won the Ballon d'Or before, despite not winning the World Cup. That means it is clear that winning the World Cup is not a mandatory condition to win the Ballon d'Or. In fact, the Ballon d'Or is given based on the player's own performance, his impact in important matches, consistency and success at the club level. Even winning the World Cup naturally makes a big impact on the minds of voters. Which will help the player get the Ballon d'Or. Here the importance of your words is understood.

However, this does not mean that the Ballon d'Or should be given to the player of the team that won the World Cup. Many times, even if there is team success, the players of that team cannot win the Ballon d'Or because their own performance is not good.

[Bit-Mj1014]

I seriously don't know why mbappe is in contention for the ballon d'or yes he was the highest goal scorer in the champions League, la liga,  and the world cup this would definitely get him to the top 5 at least but not the top three, because he didn't win any trophy in his club side and not even In his country too (real madrid and france, two of the best teams in the world), and he is not the best player in any tournament that he participated in, the ballon d'or is not all about goals, there is an award for the best striker they should give him that...

The winner should be either yamal, dembele or kane.

[Tonimez]

I'm now leaning towards either Mbappe or Kane. Yes, it is a world cup year, but there was no outstanding Spanish player in the last year. Individually, Mbappe was brilliant both for club and country (in the World Cup). Harry Kane is another candidate, it has to be one of the two.

Never seen the ballon d'or given to player who went the entire season without a trophy - it's an individual award but team success is part of the requirements. You can't say you were the best when  your performance didn't benefit your team in any way. Unfortunately Mbappe falls into that category.

It's between Yamal and H. Kane this year..

I think what you said is certainly logical but in a different way. Many players have won the Ballon d'Or before, despite not winning the World Cup. That means it is clear that winning the World Cup is not a mandatory condition to win the Ballon d'Or. In fact, the Ballon d'Or is given based on the player's own performance, his impact in important matches, consistency and success at the club level. Even winning the World Cup naturally makes a big impact on the minds of voters. Which will help the player get the Ballon d'Or. Here the importance of your words is understood.

The last time a player won the Balon d'Or without winning any titles was in 2013 when Christiano Ronaldo won the award making it about 6 players to have won the Balon d'Or in history without winning titles. However, coming to the modern football age, I don't think it's obtainable because debates has shown that it's not all about a personal achievement, the influence of that personal achievement should be felt at the team level (club/country). So it's not going to be easily given to anyone without a title, at least not this year when even the world cup was played.

The world cup is the biggest stage in the world and counts to a very large extent, hence Lamine Yamal still stands tall in this race and kane was able to achieve the third place in the world cup and won the Bundesliga.

However, this does not mean that the Ballon d'Or should be given to the player of the team that won the World Cup. Many times, even if there is team success, the players of that team cannot win the Ballon d'Or because their own performance is not good.

Yes, of course team success doesn't guarantee a player's success but it boosts a player's success who has performed averagely, team success sets his performance higher. I see this as the case of Lamine Yamal in the world cup, he is raised by the team success because he wasn't as exceptional as even the top 5: Kane, Mbappe, Haaland, Messi and Bellingham in the world cup but his team success has now made him the favourite to win this award (if it slips Harry Kane).

[Luzin]

I opened one of the betting summary websites, Oddschecker. It turns out Kane is the favorite player to win that individual award. Actually, I do not agree because I personally prefer Lamine Yamal. There are still about 7 days left for voting, so there might be significant changes. However, it seems to be difficult. Kane, Yamal, and Mbappe are all my favorite players.


Source: https://www.oddschecker.com/football/football-specials/ballon-dor/winner

[KTChampions]

He is making a shrewd strategic move to narrow the race down to two underdogs - Mbappé and himself in order to push Kane out of the conversation, and then attack Mbappé by highlighting that he has outperformed him in head-to-head competition across the board when it comes to titles. And he has already done so by attacking Mbappé with subsequent statements. But the problem is that, individually, Mbappé is superior to Yamal, and Kane hasn't actually dropped out of the conversation. Plus, as you correctly see, there is also Olise, which, in direct comparison with Yamal, is better on literally every point.

The edge that Lamine Yamal is trying to use now is the World Cup and even when he was told that he didn’t perform so well in the World Cup he replied by saying it’s not statistic and that he contributed to even the goal that gave Spain the trophy by drawing two defenders in. Personally he is looking at trying to rubbish the statistics because that doesn’t goes down well with him and looking to actually see if the performance per big games actually would be his edge.

Personally I am still seeing this thing open until the end as the winner will most likely be any of the players that can market them selves better and other players are doing that already. What I don’t personally like is the fact that Harry Kane basically has no PR at the moment with even England not campaign enough for him nor even Bayern Munich too. I think him winning it will be great for Bayern and Bundesliga plus for England too since Michael Owen last won it

Yamal’s problem is that he is embarrassing himself. His arguments would be sound if applying them equally to everyone allowed him to rise above the rest, in reality, however, if any arguments were applied consistently to everyone, Yamal certainly wouldn't be the favorite. That is why he looks ridiculous when he says one thing about one competitor and something else about another, yet fails to apply the same standard to himself.
I agree that Kane and Bayern are acting too modestly, but perhaps that is the strategy - they don't want to be associated with the kind of begging Yamal is engaging in.
Barcelona, on the contrary, threw all their players into the pit in favor of Yamal. It's disgusting behavior, but this can already be called a "tradition" since the time of Messi - they focus all their PR on one player to increase his chances.