Ballon d’Or 2026: Emmanuel Adebayor backs Kylian Mbappe ahead of Africa’s next winner

Emmanuel Adebayor has named Kylian Mbappe as his preferred candidate for the 2026 Ballon d’Or, saying the France and Real Madrid forward’s goalscoring impact should set him apart from a strong field.

“Pour moi, c’est Mbappe !” the former Togo international told Afrik-Foot, while also discussing the possibility of an African player winning the award again.

The 2026 race is expected to feature several leading contenders, including Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappe, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembele. Yamal and Kane are viewed as the two leading favourites, but Adebayor believes individual performances should carry greater weight than other considerations when the winner is selected.

The former Arsenal, Manchester City and Real Madrid striker therefore favours Mbappe, highlighting the Frenchman’s attacking efficiency over the past season.

Adebayor’s preference is based largely on statistics and a player’s ability to change the outcome of matches. Those qualities put Mbappe at the front of his personal list, despite the number of high-profile alternatives competing for the award.

Africa’s wait continues

Adebayor also considered the prospects of African players winning the Ballon d’Or. George Weah remains the only player from the continent to have claimed the prize, having done so in 1995.

The two African nominees this year, Achraf Hakimi and Sadio Mane, are not regarded as leading contenders. However, their lack of favouritism has not diminished Adebayor’s belief that another African player will eventually succeed Weah.

Several players have come close to ending the long wait. Sadio Mane finished second in 2022, behind Karim Benzema, while Mohamed Salah was among the strongest candidates during the best years of his Liverpool career.

Salah has recorded five finishes in the top seven, including fourth place in 2025. Achraf Hakimi, who had long been considered a potential podium finisher, was sixth last year.

Adebayor regards those results as evidence that African footballers are capable of competing with the leading stars in world football. He expects another African Ballon d’Or winner to emerge eventually, although he did not attempt to predict when that might happen.

For the 2026 award, though, his own choice is clear: Mbappe.