The French newspaper "L'Équipe" named four members of the 2026 Ballon d'Or voting panel on Friday evening. Each of them picked the ten players who ended up in the top positions, but none got the order right.
Four men made that list. Canadian Neil Davidson, a journalist at "The Globe and Mail", Saudi representative Khaled Al-Arafa of the "Thmanyah" platform, Welshman Paul Abbandonato of "Media Wales" and "Trinity Mirror", and Frenchman Vincent Garcia, editor-in-chief of "France Football" magazine.
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Garcia's ballot came fourth among those closest to the final standings. He put Kylian Mbappé top, yet the award went to England's Harry Kane, the Bayern Munich striker.
Kane finished first after an exceptional season, scoring 73 goals for club and country. Mbappé shone with Real Madrid, while Yamal kept proving himself one of the brightest talents in world football.
Kvaratskhelia played a leading part in Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League triumph. Haaland went on dazzling with Manchester City, and Olise enjoyed a fine season with Bayern Munich.
One hundred specialist journalists take part in the Ballon d'Or vote. Each selects his best 10 players under a system that awards the player in first place 15 points, then 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2 and one point.