A few weeks ago, Lamine Yamal told the world the 2026 Ballon d'Or was between him and Mbappé. Full stop. Now he's singing a different tune.
In a September interview with L'Équipe, the 19-year-old Barcelona forward acknowledged that the other 29 nominees all have legitimate cases — including Lionel Messi and Rodri. That's a significant climb-down from a teenager who had essentially dismissed an entire field of elite footballers with one quote.
"Mbappé and I are the two best players in the world," Yamal had said earlier this summer. Bold. Entertaining. Also a direct slight to Rodri, the defending Ballon d'Or winner who just captained Spain to a World Cup title, and Messi, who led Argentina to the final before losing 1-0 to Spain in extra time.
What changed Yamal's framing
Yamal specifically cited Messi's World Cup campaign as the reason the Argentine belongs in the conversation. That's a fair read. Messi dragged Argentina to the final of a home-continent World Cup at 38 — or however old he is at this point, the man refuses to age normally — and that kind of performance moves votes.
He also acknowledged Rodri's case, which is harder to dismiss when the man lifted the World Cup trophy as Spain's captain. Rodri won it all in 2026: the tournament, the captaincy, the defining image of the summer. His Ballon d'Or odds didn't weaken during this campaign.
Yamal's more measured tone also pointed at something worth watching: he argued the award shouldn't be decided purely on goals and trophies. That's a self-serving framing from someone whose statistical output trails Kane's 61-goal season, but it's not wrong as a philosophical point. The Ballon d'Or has always rewarded a blend of brilliance, influence, and timing.
The field is genuinely wide open
France Football's 30-man shortlist, announced September 8, includes Yamal, Mbappé, Messi, Rodri, defending winner Ousmane Dembélé, and Harry Kane — who finished the season with 36 Bundesliga goals and a European Golden Shoe. PSG leads all clubs with 10 nominees after their Champions League run.
Voting closes September 28. The ceremony is October 26 at the London Palladium — the first time it's been held outside France in the award's 70-year history.
- Messi: chasing a record-extending 9th Ballon d'Or after returning to the shortlist following absences in 2024 and 2025
- Rodri: World Cup winner and captain, defending champion, arguably the most complete midfielder in the world
- Mbappé: World Cup top scorer, Real Madrid's main man, the player Yamal originally handed co-favorite status
- Kane: 61 goals across all competitions, Bundesliga title, European Golden Shoe — the statistical case is overwhelming
- Yamal: World Cup winner at 19, already being mentioned alongside Messi and Ronaldinho as players who define the award
Yamal walking back his original quote doesn't change a single ballot. But it does reflect something real: the field is too strong for a two-man framing to survive contact with the actual shortlist.
Messi is nominated for a 9th Ballon d'Or. A win would be unprecedented. Rodri has a World Cup and a captaincy. Kane has the numbers. Mbappé has the scoring title. And Yamal, the youngest of the lot, now seems to understand that crowning yourself before October 26 is a bad look — regardless of how good you actually are.
