The Ballon d’Or debacle will not be resolved by Harry Kane’s victory

It has always been a subject of debate, and will continue to be so. But above all, in a season without any clear favourites – at least at an individual level – it was inevitable that the 2026 Ballon d’Or would end up dividing opinion and the France Foot jury: in the end, Harry Kane came out on top. Setting aside the extraordinary qualities of the English striker, who improves with age, the sense is that this time the criterion of goal-scoring output prevailed. A choice that has often, though not always, determined the awarding of a prize that remains in the throes of an existential crisis – should it go to the best player? To the one who has won the most? To the one who has played best? Mystery, mystery, mystery.

Let’s take the edition that has just concluded. On the basis of his track record, there was only one player who deserved to win the Ballon d’Or more than any other – yet he ended up as low as tenth in the overall rankings: Fabián Ruiz. The only player to have won the league, the Champions League and the World Cup with both PSG and Spain, acting as the linchpin of two exceptional midfields. And yet, judging by the votes, Fabián is not regarded as a top-class player capable of challenging the other big names for this prestigious individual honour – as if his presence in winning teams were more a matter of fortunate coincidence than evidence of genuine footballing merit. In terms of current value, Kylian Mbappé remains the standout star of the present—yet, due to a series of ironic circumstances, including his departure from PSG just before the club’s European dominance, he has never won the Ballon d’Or. In terms of potential, attention should instead turn to Lamine Yamal, who was also a strong contender for the award. It is perhaps for the best that he did not win it: at 19, a period of waiting will do him good – and rightly so, after a World Cup that was hailed as a triumph, but in which he failed to produce any particular highlights of his own.

In Spain, over the past few weeks, amidst the eternally toxic rivalry of El Clásico, an election campaign had effectively broken out between the supporters of Real Madrid’s Mbappé and those of Barcelona’s Yamal: both ended up on the lowest step of the podium, and in the end it was Kane who came out on top between the two rivals. Yet even the Englishman is no conciliatory winner. Admittedly, he scored an impressive 73 goals this season in 65 matches for Bayern Munich and England. But he was knocked out at the semi-final stage in both the Champions League and the World Cup. And he was only the second-highest goalscorer in both competitions, both times behind Mbappé – who, when it comes to the former World Cup, on the other hand, has smashed more than a few individual records. In short, those who are now clamouring for justice at the sight of Harry’s triumph are perhaps the very same people who turned up their noses when Messi, in 2010 – the master of goals amidst so many seasonal disappointments – outwitted Iniesta and Sneijder.

This is the chronic problem with the Ballon d’Or. Because there will always be years that celebrate superb teams – this Spain side, this PSG side – rather than the individual driving force. Yet, by definition, only one player can be awarded the prize. Therefore, clear criteria are needed, but they remain elusive. It is absurd that Kane has won today, when in 2020—in a mysterious decision not to award the prize—Lewandowski did not win, despite being Bayern’s top scorer and a European champion. It is inexplicable why Dembélé won last year, if Fabián is now being snubbed – if we’re talking about team achievements; otherwise, it is even more baffling that the technical shadow of Mbappé in the French team should be the one to take home the statuette whilst Kylian himself has yet to score. The main misunderstanding probably arose during the Messi–Cristiano Ronaldo duopoly, when the award was automatically given to the two dominant players of the era, with little regard for their seasonal sporting results (2010, 2012, 2013, 2019). Yet it remains scandalous, with all due respect, that the elite group of winners includes Matthias Sammer (in ’96, ahead of ‘Ronaldo the Phenomenon’), Igor Belanov and Jean-Pierre Papin – and not Raúl, Henry, Totti or Del Piero: one or the other. Consequently, alternating each season between the ‘strongest’, the ‘most prolific’ or the ‘most decorated’ only serves to add to the great confusion surrounding the Ballon d’Or. Today it is Kane’s turn; tomorrow, who knows.