Mane and Quinones defeat Bono and Benzema: they enter the Saudi league into Ballon d'Or history

The Roshn League goes global

The Saudi Roshn League has muscled its way into Ballon d'Or history through the widest of doors, with the announcement of the nominees for the 2026 award for the world's best player.

French magazine "France Football" revealed the full list of nominees today, Tuesday.

Players from the Saudi Roshn League feature for the first time since 2023: Senegal's Sadio Mane, the Al-Nassr winger, and Mexico's Julian Quinones, the Al-Qadsiah forward.

Back in 2023, the Saudi League also had representatives in the running, namely Morocco's Yassine Bounou, the Al-Hilal goalkeeper, and France's Karim Benzema, the Al-Ittihad forward at the time.

The difference now is telling. Mane and Quinones earned their nominations on the back of their displays in the Saudi Roshn League, as well as with their national teams. That was not the case with Benzema and Bounou three years ago.

Benzema's 2023 nod came off the back of his performances with his former club Real Madrid, whom he left for Al-Ittihad in the summer of that year. Bounou was in the same boat, having moved from Sevilla to Al-Hilal at the same time.

This, then, marks the first time two Saudi League players have been nominated for the Ballon d'Or on the strength of their performances while playing in the competition.

Mane's credentials go beyond the domestic scene. He steered Senegal to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final and the round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup, the same tournament in which Quinones dragged Mexico into the round of 16.

Domestically, Mane fired Al-Nassr to their first Saudi Roshn League title in seven years, while Quinones claimed the top scorer crown for the first time in his career.