Who Really Deserves the Ballon d'Or This Year?

A New Era Begins

For most of the past 15 years, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo dominated the Ballon d'Or. Now that they have aged out of the competition, a new winner must emerge. Voting for the award closed on Monday, covering the period from the start of the 2025 to 2026 club season to the end of the 2026 World Cup.

Kylian Mbappé, Lamine Yamal, and Harry Kane are among the favorites. Mbappé once admitted he could not top Messi and Ronaldo, saying, "Those players are incomparable. They have broken all laws of statistics." But with the legends gone, the door is open.

Why Real Madrid Stars Could Miss Out

To find the true winner, we have to eliminate some big names. This includes Real Madrid players like Jude Bellingham, Vinícius Júnior, and Mbappé.

Mbappé is a brilliant goal scorer. He won the World Cup Golden Boot with 10 goals, becoming the tournament's all time top scorer. However, his club team has disappointed. Real Madrid finished behind Barcelona for two seasons and failed to get past the Champions League quarterfinals. His lack of defensive work has also hurt his team, and his national side lost to Spain and England.

The Need for Trophies and World Cup Success

History shows you need silverware to win. This rules out players like Bruno Fernandes, despite his Premier League assist record. Sadio Mané is also out because Senegal were stripped of their Africa Cup of Nations title. Julián Quiñones scored 33 goals for Al Qadsiah but won no trophies.

Even if a player won one trophy, they usually need to be an attacker. This eliminates Arsenal defenders like William Saliba and Gabriel, as well as midfielder Declan Rice.

Finally, the World Cup is everything in an award year. Players like Georgia's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia did not play in it. Others like Marquinhos and Portuguese stars João Neves and Vitinha suffered disappointing tournaments, leaving the race wide open for the remaining contenders.