Yamal, Kane snubbed and a Cubarsi surprise: strange choices by journalists for the 2026 Ballon d'Or
Yamal out of two lists while Rodri tops three
The drama of the 2026 Ballon d'Or did not end when Harry Kane lifted the award. As the journalists' ballots came to light, fresh surprises emerged. Prominent names tumbled down some lists, while other players collected praise nobody had seen coming.
Lamine Yamal was the most striking casualty of the split. The Barcelona and Spain star had been talked up as one of the frontrunners, yet the journalists from Belarus and Croatia left him out of their top 10 entirely.
Elsewhere, names like Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Pau Cubarsi climbed into leading positions, reviving the old questions about what voters actually weigh up when they rank the stars of the season.
Yamal out of two lists: a clear disparity in his assessment
French outlet "Foot Mercato" flagged the Belarusian and Croatian ballots as the real eye-openers, with both snubbing Yamal from their top 10.
The Belarusian journalist put Lionel Messi first, Rodri second and Harry Kane third. The Croatian gave top spot to Rodri, ahead of Erling Haaland and Messi.
Yamal fared better elsewhere. He came fifth on the Colombian journalist's ballot and fourth on the Vietnamese one.
Fifth again on the Ecuadorian list, where three French players filled the top four: Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembele and Kylian Mbappe.
The Montenegrin vote had Barcelona's star down in fourth, behind Kane, Kvaratskhelia and Messi. It all lays bare how differently journalists judged his season, even though he ranks among the brightest talents of the new generation.
Rodri on top: Kane drops to tenth place
Yamal was not the only talking point. Rodri topped several ballots, though opinion on where he belonged in the overall vote varied wildly.
The Spanish midfielder took first place with the Croatian, Vietnamese and Czech journalists.
Over in the Czech ballot, Mbappe came second and Messi third, but Harry Kane limped in at tenth. The England striker went on to win the whole thing.
Closer to the mark was the Kosovar journalist, who put Kane first, ahead of Mbappe and Kvaratskhelia.
Kvaratskhelia and Cubarsi: a surprise presence in the leading positions
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia emerged as one of the big winners from the spread of opinion. He broke into the top three on more than one ballot, including that of the Kosovar journalist, who placed him third behind Kane and Mbappe, and that of the Romanian.
Young defender Pau Cubarsi also made his mark, landing third with the Swiss journalist and seventh with the Croatian.
That same Croatian list even squeezed Vitinha into its top 10. The ballots reveal just how far apart voters can be when ranking the stars, even over names that barely featured in the conversation before the results dropped.
Clear criteria: but the assessment remains relative
Three main criteria drive the voting: a player's individual performance and decisive impact, the collective achievements and titles won with his team, and sporting conduct and respect for the spirit of the game.
Each participating country's representative draws up a top 10 from his own point of view, with points handed out according to where the names fall.
The criteria may be clear, yet the process still leaves plenty of room for disagreement over players' displays and the weight of their achievements. The ballots published so far prove exactly that.
