Morocco's representative for the Ballon d'Or: some tried to push me to choose a player other than Hakimi

Mbappé came second in Mustafa Badri's vote

Moroccan journalist Mustapha Badri sat on the international panel tasked with selecting the winner of the 2026 Ballon d'Or. He stands by his decision to place compatriot Achraf Hakimi top of his rankings, but claims he faced pressure to change his vote.

One hundred journalists from across the world voted to choose the 2026 Ballon d'Or winner. Of those 100, Badri alone placed the Paris Saint-Germain full-back at the summit of his selections.

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Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal took second and third in Badri's ranking, mirroring the final result. Harry Kane, voted ahead of Mbappé by a narrow margin, came sixth.

"There are attempts at influence"

Badri made worrying claims during an interview he gave on Saturday to the "Afrik Foot" website, speaking of the pressure he came under shortly before casting his final vote.

He said: "Some people contacted me to try to influence me and convince me to vote against Achraf Hakimi in favour of another player, whose name I prefer not to mention. I did not give in to these requests, but this experience shows that there are attempts at influence around this kind of ballot."

He added: "There are influence groups that seek to contact journalists and steer their choices. I lived through this experience myself without falling into the trap (...) It is a form of lobbying and seeking support, which may sometimes lead to choices far removed from strict sporting logic."

Hakimi deserved the Ballon d'Or, Badri insisted, explaining: "He is not an ordinary player, he is an excellent defender, but he is also an attacker with wonderful technical qualities."