Brazilian Vinícius Júnior, the Real Madrid star, was never among the strong contenders for the 2026 Ballon d'Or, which went to England striker Harry Kane.
Why? A disappointing campaign at collective level for both Real Madrid and Brazil at the World Cup, coupled with a sharp drop in his own individual numbers.
Vinícius Júnior ended up 17th in this year's final Ballon d'Or standings.
A hundred journalists cast votes for the Ballon d'Or, yet Vinícius featured on just 8 ballots, among them Jordan's representative, who ranked him 10th.
Here is every vote the Real Madrid star picked up: Mali (fifth place), Cape Verde (seventh), Paraguay (seventh), Brazil (eighth), Guinea (eighth), Kosovo (eighth), Jamaica (tenth), Jordan (tenth).