At the London ceremony: will Messi present the Ballon d'Or to the winner?

Lionel Messi has sparked controversy ahead of the 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony, scheduled for 26 October this month in London, after reports spread claiming the Argentina star would attend and might even hand the award to the winner.

Obscure websites had run the story over the past few hours, citing a journalist named "Juan Jesus", insisting Messi was ready to turn up and take on a special role by presenting the Ballon d'Or to this year's winner.

Fabrizio Romano shot that down. The well-known Italian journalist denied the Inter Miami captain had received any invitation to carry out the task.

Posting on his official account on the "X" platform, Romano wrote: "Lionel Messi will not be presenting any award to the Ballon d'Or winners, because he has not received an invitation to do so."

He added that nobody has confirmed the Argentina star will even attend the ceremony, which casts question marks over the reports circulating about his appearance at the eagerly awaited night.

Those doubts grow when you consider Messi sits on the list of nominees for the 2026 Ballon d'Or, alongside prominent stars such as Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe. In other words, he is a contender for the very award he was said to be handing over.

That does not theoretically rule out a presenting role, but it does raise questions about the accuracy of the reports, especially with Romano confirming no invitation has been extended to the Argentine.

Organisers will stage the ceremony at the London Palladium theatre, an exceptional edition marking 70 years since the award was launched.

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