Snub for two Roshn stars: who did the Saudi journalist vote for in the Ballon d'Or?

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Media reports have revealed how the Saudi journalist cast his votes for the 2026 Ballon d'Or, the award for the world's best player.

French magazine "France Football" staged the Ballon d'Or 2026 ceremony in London in the early hours of yesterday morning, Tuesday. English striker Harry Kane walked away with the prize.

Kane earned the crown after racking up the highest number of points from the votes of 100 journalists around the world, each representing one of the 100 top-ranked nations according to FIFA.

One name among those journalists stood out: the Saudi Khalid Al-Arrafa, voting for the award for a fourth year running. Media figure Mohammed Al-Khamis revealed the details on the programme "In 90" on the Saudi Sports Channels.

According to Al-Khamis, Al-Arrafa handed his first vote to Harry Kane for this year's award. France's Kylian Mbappe, the Real Madrid star, came second, with Spain's Lamine Yamal of Barcelona in third.

The Saudi journalist gave nothing to Senegal's Sadio Mane, the Al-Nassr star, or Mexico's Julian Quinones, the Al-Qadsiah striker. Both men flew the flag for the Roshn League on the initial list of 30 players.

Mane and Quinones finished in the final two places of the 2026 Ballon d'Or ranking. For the Senegalese star it marked his worst showing yet, having come second back in 2022.