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For the first time in recent memory, the Ballon d'Or race has no obvious frontrunner.
World Cup champions Spain and Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain were both sides built around team cohesion rather than driven by a single superstar. Even the sentimental narrative of Lionel Messi's journey with Argentina was dampened by a disappointing defeat in the final.
That said, if you were to ask Lamine Yamal, he sees two clear contenders above the rest.
"For me, [Kylian] Mbappé and I are the best in the world. It is clear to me. Everyone who watches the matches knows it," Barcelona's World Cup winner recently stated. Yamal places himself above Real Madrid's star in the Ballon d'Or standings—"I think I deserve it this year because of what I've won."—though the field of genuine contenders appears broader than just those two.
L'Équipe, the sister publication of France Football which founded the award and continues to present it annually, ran a potentially telling front page this week as a preview of the Ballon d'Or. Mbappé and Yamal feature prominently, while Messi, Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League hero Ousmane Dembélé and Europe's leading scorer Harry Kane also appeared beneath a headline reading: "It's their project."
🗞️ La une du journal L'Équipe du mardi 15 septembre 2026
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Those five names are logical favorites. Collectively, they have claimed every major trophy and netted over 200 goals. Yet none of them claimed the individual honor most closely associated with the Ballon d'Or during a World Cup year.
The One Nominee Pleased to Be Overlooked
Rodri was named the best player at the biggest tournament on the planet this season, yet nobody seems to be championing his cause for the Ballon d'Or. L'Équipe, Rodri's own club and the player himself all seem perfectly content letting the spotlight shine elsewhere.
"Ballon d'Or?" Rodri said during a recent interview. "The club has chosen to support Lamine. They say he's the most deserving player for the award, and that's completely fair. I hope a Spanish player wins it."
This is an entirely expected stance from the quietly spoken Spaniard.
"Maybe people would like me to be more marketable and they sometimes say, 'Mate, you should ...' but I understand football differently," Rodri told The Guardian back in 2024. "I know how it works so I don't get frustrated if [I get overlooked]. If one day someone wants to reward the work, that's welcome, but it doesn't bother me at all."
That laid-back attitude didn't hinder Rodri's chances in 2024, when he edged out Vinícius Júnior to claim the Ballon d'Or.
The World Cup winner briefly recaptured that elite form during the summer tournament in North America, but had endured a difficult domestic season with Manchester City. Pep Guardiola himself cautioned that his former midfield cornerstone would not be "the Rodri of before" until the World Cup. Whether those six weeks proved persuasive enough to earn him the title of best player of the year remains to be seen.