Kane’s complete case earns Ballon d’Or as Mbappe and Yamal fall short

Diego Vargas, a journalist for Defensa Central, says Harry Kane was a fair winner of the 2026 Ballon d’Or after presenting the most complete case ahead of Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal.

The England captain received the award at the London Palladium on Monday evening. Mbappe finished second, while Yamal was third and collected the Best Young Player award for the third consecutive year.

Vargas believes Kane combined achievements that his two closest rivals lacked.

“Harry Kane has what Mbappe did not achieve: team trophies such as the Bundesliga and the German Cup,” he said. “He also has what Lamine Yamal was missing: an influence on his team’s successes.”

Vargas argued that Yamal missed a major opportunity in 2026. The Barcelona forward won La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup, but his limited contribution to Spain’s success at the World Cup damaged his prospects.

“If Lamine, the champion of La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup with Barcelona, had performed well at the World Cup, he would have won without doubt,” Vargas said. “But his limited contribution to Spain’s triumph had a negative effect on his chances.”

Mbappe, meanwhile, broke the goalscoring record at the World Cup but was unable to add major honours to his individual achievements.

“Mbappe broke the World Cup goalscoring record, but the absence of trophies was a heavy burden against him,” Vargas added.

Vargas said neither player had done enough to settle the Ballon d’Or race in their favour. He believes Mbappe’s second-place finish underlined that individual brilliance alone is not sufficient, with players also required to demonstrate their influence on collective success.

That outcome could benefit Real Madrid and manager Jose Mourinho, according to Vargas. He said the club needs a “hungrier” version of Mbappe as it attempts to win trophies this season after two years without silverware.

“Mbappe had reasons to win the Ballon d’Or, but in the end Harry Kane’s victory was the fairest result,” Vargas said.

“For Mourinho and Real Madrid, Mbappe losing the Ballon d’Or is very good news. Had he won it, it would have provided one less source of motivation during this season. Mourinho needs him hungry, and 2027 must be his year.”

Vargas added that Mbappe would have to earn the award rather than receive it as a gift.

“The football world is eager to give this award to Kylian, but he will not receive it for free,” he said. “He must deserve it. He already knows that scoring goals is not enough. He has to lead Real Madrid and win trophies, preferably the Champions League. If he does that, there will be no doubts in 2027.”

Vargas also explained why Jude Bellingham could not challenge Kane, despite believing the Real Madrid midfielder was England’s best player at the World Cup in the United States.

“Jude Bellingham’s World Cup was much better than Harry Kane’s, and that is an indisputable fact,” he said. “But Jude faced the same problem as Mbappe: the absence of trophies. He was also far from the contest considering what he produced for Real Madrid throughout last season.”

He said Bellingham’s current form was a different matter, with his performances improving significantly since the World Cup.

Vargas ended by saying Real Madrid have several players capable of winning the 2027 award and urged Mourinho to build a team capable of producing the next Ballon d’Or winner.