Several leading Ballon d’Or contenders have stepped up their media appearances to promote their achievements, with two weeks remaining before voting closes to select the world’s best player. The open race comes ahead of the award ceremony on 26 October in London. The competition entered its decisive phase on 8 September, when France Football, the award’s organiser, announced a list of 30 players nominated to succeed Frenchman Ousmane Dembélé.
Yamal and Mbappé declare themselves worthy
With no clear leader in the race, players and public-relations agencies have taken on a greater role in presenting individual and team achievements to voters. Lamine Yamal, who won the Spanish league last season and the 2026 World Cup, said he placed himself and Frenchman Kylian Mbappé at the top of the world’s players.
The 19-year-old Spanish player added that he considered himself worthy of this year’s Ballon d’Or based on what he had achieved. Mbappé, for his part, stressed the award’s individual nature and said he would vote for himself. Despite winning no title with Real Madrid or France during the season, he scored 10 goals at the World Cup, taking his tournament tally to 22 and becoming its all-time top scorer.
Real Madrid coach José Mourinho backed Mbappé’s candidacy, saying the player who made history during the summer did not belong to Paris Saint-Germain or the Spanish national team. Real Madrid boycotted the 2024 award ceremony after learning, shortly before travelling to Paris, that none of its seven nominated players would win.
Paris Saint-Germain puts forward 10 nominees
Ruiz is the only player on the list to have won both the Champions League and the World Cup, while team coach Luis Enrique said Kvaratskhelia, Dembélé and others had a chance to win. Dembélé, meanwhile, said he was not seeking to influence the vote or promote himself, stressing that the decision belonged to the voters. Paris Saint-Germain declined to limit its backing to one of its players.
Harry Kane has remained silent about his chances despite scoring 73 goals and leading Bayern Munich to the league and cup double, while the England team finished third at the 2026 World Cup. But his Colombian teammate Luis Díaz, who is also nominated, said Kane deserved the award “100%”.
The award raises winners’ market value
The Ballon d’Or’s importance extends beyond its sporting value. For some players, it is tied to bonuses in sponsorship contracts, while it raises the market value of the winner and his club and may boost merchandise sales. The award does not provide a direct financial prize. Lionel Messi leads the list of Ballon d’Or winners with 8 titles, compared with 5 for Cristiano Ronaldo. Forbes estimates that each earns more than 65 million dollars a year from sponsorship contracts.
Around 100 invited journalists take part in selecting the winner, each representing one of the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings.
The awards ceremony will be held in London, while only 5 of the 30 nominees play in the Premier League.
