According to "Sport", the 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony will be held on October 26 at the Palladium Theatre in London, and Yamal believes he deserves the honor.

The judging criteria include individual performance, team performance and achievements, technical ability, and fair play. The award, founded by France Football magazine, is highly competitive, with several candidates vying for recognition.

Yamal and Rodri from Barcelona are attracting the most attention.

In an interview with Movistar's "Universe - Valdano" program, Yamal stated: "Mbappé and I are the two best, but I feel I deserve it more this year." He believes his outstanding individual performance, coupled with winning a league title and especially the 2026 World Cup title, are sufficient to support this judgment.

Rodri won the Ballon d'Or in 2024 and has maintained a low profile. At Manchester City, he helped the team win the Premier League, and also won the 2024 European Championship with Spain. Vinícius was originally the favorite but was affected by fair play issues, and Real Madrid ultimately did not attend the award ceremony.

Yamal also spoke about Mbappé. In an interview with L'Équipe, Mbappé placed himself ahead of 2025 Ballon d'Or winner Dembélé, saying: "Everyone has always seen him as a gifted player. In contrast, everyone has always seen me as the chosen one."

Dembélé continues to perform excellently at Paris Saint-Germain. In an interview with Ligue1+, he said: "I said before that people never saw me as the chosen one, but I worked hard. I had a fantastic season at Paris Saint-Germain last season, and it paid off. Now let's see what happens next—no pressure, stay calm."

Winning the Champions League for the second consecutive year is an important asset for Paris Saint-Germain players competing for the Ballon d'Or. Kvaratskhelia could be a dark horse, having had an extremely outstanding season and earning praise from many football experts.

The Georgian player's disadvantage is not participating in the World Cup, but he still dreams of winning the Ballon d'Or. Kvaratskhelia said: "As long as there is one person in this world who thinks I deserve such a heavyweight trophy, I am already very happy. I am really proud. This shows that I am doing my job right, and I just want to continue maintaining this level."

Kane is the England captain, and England finished third in the World Cup. He also helped Bayern Munich win the Bundesliga title. Kane's teammates support his candidacy. Michael Olise said: "He deserves this trophy because he was the best player in the world last season." Luis Díaz also said: "Kane can do everything—score goals, assist, defend. He is one of the top goal scorers in world football. He always wants more and wants his teammates to improve with him."

Messi also cannot be overlooked. Messi helped Inter Miami win the MLS title and led Argentina to the 2026 World Cup final. With 8 Ballon d'Or awards already to his name, Messi remains competitive due to his personal achievements, the sportsmanship he showed after losing to Spain in the World Cup final, and his sustained technical ability in the North American league.

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