AS editor says Harry Kane was not his Ballon d’Or choice as voting details await publication

Jose Felix Diaz, editor of Spanish newspaper AS and Spain’s sole representative on the Ballon d’Or voting panel, has revealed he did not consider Harry Kane the most deserving winner of the 2026 award.

Kane claimed the prize at a ceremony in London, finishing ahead of Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal, who completed the top three. But Diaz said his own ordering of the leading candidates differed from the final result.

Speaking on the popular El Larguero programme on radio station Cadena SER, Diaz gave an indication of his vote without disclosing the full list.

“My ranking is the same, but Kane, Mbappe and Lamine were in different positions,” he said. “My top three choices are still the same, but they are not in the order that was finally announced.”

Diaz did not say whether Mbappe or Yamal had been his first choice. The complete voting breakdown for every voter is due to be published by France Football on Saturday.

‘Kane is missing something’

Diaz was also asked about Kane’s victory and made clear that the England striker had not been his preferred choice, despite his prolific goalscoring record.

“I think Harry Kane is a great player, but I was expecting Kylian Mbappe or Lamine Yamal to win,” Diaz said. “I do not know how to explain it, but in my opinion he is missing something.”

Kane delivered a lengthy speech after receiving the award and appeared surprised by his achievement, highlighting his scoring record as a central reason for his success.

Diaz’s comments have raised questions about the criteria used to determine the winner, including whether goals alone should be decisive or whether a player’s wider influence and personality should also be considered.

The Spanish journalist said he correctly predicted nine of the 10 highest-ranked players and described the 2026 voting as one of the most open editions in the award’s history.

“The advantage of this edition is that five or six players could have won,” he said. “It was one of the most open editions in history.”

Spain’s players split the vote

Diaz attributed the relatively low positions of Spain’s leading candidates to the division of votes among the national team’s players.

Lamine Yamal was the highest-ranked Spaniard in third place, while Rodri finished fifth. Diaz said the outcome reflected a reason previously given by the president of France Football.

“I think the votes for the Spanish players were very close, and no one player from the national team stood out above the others,” he said. “I believe that was a major obstacle for them. Winning the World Cup deserved to be highlighted more.”

Diaz nevertheless praised the strength of Spanish football, saying it was clearly superior to that of any other country. He identified Unai Simon and Luis de la Fuente as the two leading figures in Spanish men’s football during the year.

He also praised Barcelona’s achievements in the women’s game, saying: “What Barcelona are doing in women’s football is worthy of admiration.” The comment came as Alexia Putellas regained the women’s Ballon d’Or.