Ballon d’Or 2026 voting reveals sharp divide over Yamal, Kane and rising stars

Harry Kane may have won the 2026 Ballon d’Or, but the individual ballots have produced several notable surprises, with Lamine Yamal omitted from two top-10 lists and players including Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Pau Cubarsi receiving unexpectedly high rankings.

Yamal, the Barcelona and Spain forward widely regarded as one of the leading contenders, was left out of the top 10 by the journalists representing Belarus and Croatia, according to French outlet Foot Mercato.

The Belarusian journalist selected Lionel Messi in first place, followed by Rodri and Kane. Croatia’s representative placed Rodri at the top, ahead of Erling Haaland and Messi.

Yamal was ranked fifth by the journalist from Colombia and fourth by the representative from Vietnam. He also finished fifth in Ecuador’s voting, where three French players occupied four of the leading positions: Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembele and Kylian Mbappe.

The Montenegro ballot placed Yamal fourth, behind Kane, Kvaratskhelia and Messi. The range of positions reflects the differing assessments of his season, despite his status as one of the leading players of the next generation.

Rodri leads several ballots

The surprises were not limited to Yamal. Rodri topped the voting conducted by the journalists from Croatia, Vietnam and the Czech Republic, despite the differing views over his overall position in the wider vote.

The Czech journalist ranked Mbappe second and Messi third, but placed Kane 10th, even though the England striker ultimately collected the award.

Kosovo’s ballot was more closely aligned with the final outcome. Kane was placed first, ahead of Mbappe and Kvaratskhelia.

Kvaratskhelia was among the main beneficiaries of the varied voting patterns. The Georgia forward appeared in the top three in more than one ballot, including Kosovo’s, where he finished third behind Kane and Mbappe, and Romania’s selection.

Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsi also featured prominently. He was ranked third by the journalist from Switzerland and seventh by the Croatian representative.

Vitinha joined the Croatian journalist’s top 10, underlining the considerable differences between the voters’ rankings, including for players who had not been among the leading favourites before the results were announced.

Ballon d’Or voting is based on three main criteria: a player’s individual performances and decisive influence, team achievements and trophies won with their club, and sporting conduct and respect for fair play.

Each participating country’s representative submits a list of the 10 best players in their view, with points awarded according to the order in which they are listed. Although the criteria are defined, the ballots leave room for differing judgements about performances and the significance of achievements, as the published selections have demonstrated.