Messi seventh as Portugal journalist’s Ballon d’Or vote puts Yamal first

The 2026 Ballon d’Or voting by Portuguese journalist Antonio Tadia has placed Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal at the top, while Lionel Messi finished seventh and winner Harry Kane was ranked sixth.

Tadia’s ballot favoured Yamal ahead of a number of leading contenders, with France forward Kylian Mbappe second and Norway striker Erling Haaland third.

Georgia international Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was fourth, followed by Spain and Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsi in fifth. Kane, who won the award, was placed one position above Messi but outside Tadia’s top five.

The choices extended beyond the leading positions, with Portugal defender Nuno Mendes eighth, Argentina forward Lautaro Martinez ninth and Spain midfielder Rodri 10th.

The ballot therefore placed several prominent players ahead of Kane, including Yamal, Mbappe, Haaland, Kvaratskhelia and Cubarsi, while Messi was the seventh name on the Portuguese journalist’s list.

Vitinha was the highest-ranked Portuguese player in the final standings, finishing 14th with 59 points.

His Portugal team-mate Joao Neves was 19th on 15 points, while Mendes ended the voting in 23rd place with eight points. Bruno Fernandes completed the Portuguese representation listed in the results, finishing 27th with five points.

Tadia’s selections provided a notably different ordering from the final award outcome, with Yamal receiving top billing in the individual vote despite Kane taking the Ballon d’Or.