Ballon d’Or predictions open as Kooora readers make their choices

As the announcement of the Ballon d’Or winner approaches, attention is turning beyond the shortlisted players, journalists and analysts. Supporters who followed a season packed with competition also have their own preferred candidates and reasons for backing them to win football’s most prestigious individual award.

Following the response to Kooora’s poll of its editors on the likely winner, the website is inviting its readers to take part in a separate prediction exercise. This time, the audience will have the chance to make their choices and provide their view before the official result is announced.

Readers can name the player they expect to win the Ballon d’Or in the comments below the article. They may also explain the reasons behind their selection if they wish.

Will Kylian Mbappe lead the race? Could Harry Kane or Lamine Yamal emerge as the player with the final say? Or does another candidate have the qualities needed to secure the award?

Kooora says it will not promote one particular player or direct readers towards a specific nominee. The aim is to leave the choice entirely open, so the outcome reflects the genuine expectations of those taking part.

The exercise will continue after the official announcement. Kooora plans to review the comments submitted before the winner is revealed, identify how many readers selected the successful player and compare them with those who backed other candidates.

The predictions will then be converted into approximate percentages to show the level of support each nominee received among participants. The site will also calculate the proportion of readers who correctly predicted the eventual winner.

A separate article will publish the results of the exercise. It will show which names attracted the most support, the percentage of accurate predictions and whether Kooora’s audience managed to identify the winner before the decisive announcement or whether the final result differed from the majority view.

Readers are being asked to submit the name of their preferred Ballon d’Or candidate in the comments ahead of the official announcement. Their choices will form part of a wider review designed to assess how accurately the audience read the contest.

The final figures may show that the most widely supported player was the eventual winner, or they could reveal that a less-favoured candidate prevailed. In either case, the collected responses will provide a record of how Kooora readers assessed the race before the award was decided.