Spain’s Ballon d’Or voter explains why Mbappe edged Yamal

Jose Felix Diaz, Spain’s representative in the 2026 Ballon d’Or voting, says Kylian Mbappe was his preferred choice ahead of Lamine Yamal because of the France forward’s consistency and scoring record throughout the season.

Harry Kane won the award, with Mbappe finishing second and Yamal third.

Speaking on AS’s YouTube channel, Diaz said he had considered whether Kane’s achievements might have carried more weight if he had still been playing for Tottenham.

“I kept thinking about what might have happened if Harry Kane had still been at Tottenham. Perhaps I would have chosen him, although I do not know,” he said. “I see a significant difference in the German league.”

“The Bundesliga is not the same as La Liga or the Premier League, is it? Perhaps you look at it from that perspective. Kane played for many years in the Premier League with Tottenham, a club that was not among the biggest sides. He could not lead Tottenham to a trophy, although he did take them to a final.”

Diaz said Kane deserved to finish among the leading three but felt his influence had diminished during the World Cup.

“I believe Harry Kane deserved to be on the podium. But, for me, he started the World Cup very well, and then Jude Bellingham began to take attention away from him, didn’t he?” he added.

Asked whether giving the award to Kane meant leaving Bellingham out of consideration, Diaz said the decision could not be based on one measure alone.

“There are many factors involved in this choice, and none of them can be decisive on its own,” he said.

However, Diaz explained that Mbappe had been his leading candidate for most of the campaign.

“From the start of the season until the end of the World Cup, I was leaning towards Kylian Mbappe,” he said. “He was the top scorer in the league, the Champions League and the World Cup, as well as the tournament’s leading scorer. He also led France to the semi-finals, where they faced Spain.”

Despite Mbappe’s fluctuating form, Diaz believed he remained at a high level more consistently than his rivals.

“Although he went through periods of ups and downs, I think he was the player who maintained the highest and most consistent level throughout the entire season,” he said.

Diaz also argued that Real Madrid had not given Mbappe sufficient support, while acknowledging the subjective nature of the voting process.

“Real Madrid did not support Mbappe or stand by him,” he said. “As I told you, this decision involves a degree of subjectivity, as almost everything does. There are no clear figures or criteria that can be used conclusively, and I believe being the World Cup’s top scorer is also a factor that deserves recognition.”

On Yamal, Diaz said the tournament had not represented the Barcelona player’s strongest period and that he had not reached the final stage of the season at his best.

“If you ask me who I would choose based on Lamine’s current level, there is no doubt my choice would be Lamine Yamal,” he said. “But we are analysing what the players produced last season and, personally, I thought Mbappe was better than Lamine.”

Diaz accepted that Barcelona’s trophies and Yamal’s success with Spain strengthened the teenager’s case, but questioned whether he had been the national team’s most influential player at the World Cup.

“You will tell me, and people will tell me, that Barcelona won trophies and that Lamine won the World Cup and the league. I agree with that,” he said. “But I do not believe Lamine had a greater impact at the World Cup than other Spanish players.”

He added that Spain’s triumph had been built on collective performance, whereas Yamal’s importance to Barcelona had since become much greater.

“I think Spain won because of teamwork, not because of Lamine alone,” Diaz said. “Now, however, Barcelona are showing that 70% of their strength comes from Lamine. He drives forward, destroys everything in his path and gets rid of anyone who stands in his way.”