As is the case after every Ballon d’Or, the fans of players who didn’t win the Golden Ball claim that their favourite player was ‘robbed’ of the title. This time, it’s the fanbases of Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal who have stirred a storm on social media, suggesting Harry Kane wasn’t the deserving winner. But is it actually true? It’s time to look at the criteria behind the awarding of the most prestigious individual honour the game has to offer.
Harry Kane won the Ballon d’Or 2026 title, beating Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal. The respective fanbases of Yamal and Mbappe suggest that they were ‘robbed’ of the honour.
Team performances and achievements. If individual performance is the main standard, Harry Kane was in a league of his own. But compared to Kane’s total output, he was still far off. The biggest argument for Yamal is Spain’s World Cup win. But claiming Yamal carried that team does not match what happened on the pitch. Rodri was the heart of the midfield and Spain’s best overall player. Pau Cubarsi was the standout young defender in the tournament. He even received a shout-out from Yamal after the latter was honoured with the Kopa Trophy, given to the best young player of the year. Mikel Oyarzabal led the team in goals, Dani Olmo led in assists, and Ferran Torres scored the winning goal in the final. Yamal was not bad individually, but he was part of a balanced group rather than the sole driver of their success. If trophies alone decided the award, a player like Fabian Ruiz would win every time. Mbappe finished second behind Kane, leading many of his fans to call the decision unfair. In terms of trophies, Mbappe drew blank, failing to win a single title, either with Real Madrid or the France national team.
- The English striker delivered an unbelievable 81 goal contributions across the season. He turned up in every competition, finishing as the top scorer in the Bundesliga and the Champions League with 14 goals, before leading England through a strong World Cup campaign. Lamine Yamal had a brilliant season with 25 goals and 21 assists, which is incredible for a young winger. Even in terms of creative output, Michael Olise had an equally impressive campaign with 62 goal contributions, doubling Yamal’s Champions League assists and setting a World Cup assist record. his total goal contributions still fell short of Kane’s 81 While Mbappe scored at an elite rate once again.
The Ballon d’Or reportedly said that the gap between Mbappe and Kane’s final vote count was marginal.
