With the nominees for the 2026 Ballon d’Or releasing, let’s take a look at the male players who have the chance to win.
- Jude Bellingham – Real Madrid
- Pau Cubarsí – Barcelona
- Marc Cucurella – Real Madrid
- Ousmane Dembélé – PSG
- Luis Díaz – Bayern
- Bruno Fernandes – Manchester United
- Gabriel Magalhães – Arsenal
- Erling Haaland – Manchester City
- Achraf Hakimi – PSG
- Harry Kane – Bayern
- Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – PSG
- Lamine Yamal – Barcelona
- Sadio Mané – Al Nassr
- Marquinhos – PSG
- Lautaro Martínez – Inter Milan
- Kylian Mbappé – Real Madrid
- Nuno Mendes – PSG
- Lionel Messi – Inter Miami
- João Neves – PSG
- Michael Olise – Bayern
- Willian Pacho – PSG
- Juliãn Quiñones – Al Qadsiah
- Declan Rice – Arsenal
- Rodri – Barcelona
- Fabián Ruiz – PSG
- William Saliba – Arsenal
- Ferran Torres – PSG
- Dayot Upamecano – Bayern
- Vinícius Júnior – Real Madrid
- Vitinha – PSG
With these nominations coming in, you might be wondering who my top three predictions are. What players stand out the most to me, and what players deserve the honor of being named the 2026 Ballon d’Or winner?
3. Jude Bellingham – Real Madrid/England
The English Midfielder seems to be one of the favorites to win the Ballon d’Or this season, especially after an incredible performance in the World Cup for England, finishing third in goals with 8. He trailed behind Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé, on top of an average match rating of 7.83, the fourth highest at the tournament. At the beginning of the La Liga season, Bellingham is maintaining a player rating of 8.19 for Real Madrid, just behind Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal. With this short snippet of Bellingham’s stats, it’s no surprise that he is one of the favorites to win.
2. Kylian Mbappé – Real Madrid/France
After losing to England and placing fourth in the World Cup, Mbappé finished with 10 goals in 8 matches, finishing first in that category as well as being top three in player ratings with a 7.87 rating. Putting the World Cup aside, Mbappé is dominating LaLiga, tied for first with six goals, alongside the likes of Raphina and Lamine Yamal. The season prior, Mbappé finished first in goals with 25 in 31 matches played, furthering his case to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or.
- Laime Yamal – Barcelona/Spain
This should be no surprise to anyone. The 19-year-old superstar for Barcelona, fresh off winning the World Cup with Spain, is my pick to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or. True, he disappeared in the World Cup, scoring only a single goal on top of maintaining a 7.16 player rating. But although his World Cup numbers may disappoint, when you take a look at his LaLiga stats, he only furthers his case to win. He has made six goals in five matches played, tied for first in LaLiga, and maintained the highest player rating at 8.53, the next closest being Jude Bellingham with 8.19. The young winger has nothing left to prove besides winning the esteemed Ballon D’Or.
Featured image: Wikimedia Commons
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