Vincent Garcia, editor-in-chief of France Football, the organisers of the Ballon d'Or, has revealed that Kylian Mbappe was ahead in the voting for most of the period before a late surge from Harry Kane secured the England striker the award.
Kane became the fifth Englishman to win the prestigious prize, and the first in 25 years, with Michael Owen the last England international to lift the Ballon d'Or in 2001. The England captain follows in the footsteps of Sir Stanley Matthews, Sir Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan and Owen.
Close Race for the 2026 Award
The race for the 2026 Ballon d'Or was described as the most closely fought in years, with no standout performers winning the major tournaments of the year, one of the deciding criteria for Ballon d'Or journalists. While the winner is announced on the night of the gala, votes are received over the span of multiple weeks.
Kane had been the bookies' favourite for some time, though Lamine Yamal was briefly ahead in the markets and Mbappe saw a late surge in the days and hours leading up to the London ceremony. However, Garcia said Mbappe was favoured in the voting for some time.
Garcia on the Final Margin
Garcia explained: "Kylian Mbappe was ahead in the race for most of the voting period, before Harry Kane came back strongly. The gap in points between Kane and Mbappe is extremely small, even less than the gap between Rodri and Vinicius in 2024, which amounted to 41 points."
Garcia did not reveal his own vote but praised Kane. "He is above all a great goalscorer," he continued. "He scored 73 goals with his club and his national team this season, won every title in Germany with Bayern Munich, and reached the semi-final of the Champions League, and with the England national team he reached the semi-final of the World Cup. There is no doubt that the jury felt he was the best and most complete choice among all the contenders."
Yamal's Third-Place Finish
Yamal was the star name during Spain's World Cup, but the young winger was unable to score or provide an assist during the knockout stages. The Barcelona attacker finished third, with Garcia suggesting that the lack of an outstanding performer for Spain during their World Cup win cost La Roja players in the voting.
He added: "I honestly believe that Rodri deprived Lamine of some votes. In the World Cup-winning Spanish national team, there was a clear split in votes between Rodri and Lamine Yamal, and this split cost them a great deal. There was a great dispersal of votes among the Spanish players, and more importantly, the Spanish national team was a complete side and an astonishing collective machine. That is why it was almost impossible for the members of the jury to single out and favour one specific individual performance."
