Including one Arab nation: Messi wins the trust of six countries in the Ballon d'Or

Despite missing out on the podium: Messi a strong presence in the voting

The voting for the 2026 Ballon d'Or exposed a striking paradox involving Lionel Messi and Ousmane Dembélé. The Argentine finished fifth overall, yet six countries ranked him first. Dembélé, who claimed the award in 2025, failed to pick up a single first-place vote from any nation.

The details came from magazine "France Football" and were picked up by Spanish newspaper "AS". Voters from Brazil, Argentina, Panama, Belarus, the United Arab Emirates and China all put Messi top, even though he finished outside the top four.

Dembélé, seventh in the final standings, landed second on the lists of seven countries: Burkina Faso, China, France, Georgia, Haiti, North Macedonia and Nigeria. Not one voter named him first.

Mbappé present in China's vote

China placed Kylian Mbappé fifth, while Paraguay's voter had him third. Across Africa, nine of the 20 participating countries made Mbappé their first choice.

Erling Haaland fared no better than Dembélé for first-place votes, with none to his name. The representatives of Croatia, Northern Ireland and Norway each picked him second.

Michael Olise got his only first-place vote from one man: the journalist representing Curaçao.