Days before the 2026 Ballon d'Or winner is unveiled, Spanish journalist Antón Meana has lit the touchpaper on a fresh debate. Does Kylian Mbappé deserve football's most prestigious individual prize? The Real Madrid star, Meana argues, has sold the world a version of his season that does not match what he produced on the pitch.
Three names dominate the conversation: Lamine Yamal, Harry Kane and Mbappé, who has run an intense media campaign in pursuit of a first Ballon d'Or.
Meana, though, rates Kane above the Frenchman. Speaking on "El Larguero" on "Cadena SER" radio, the journalist pointed to the Bayern Munich striker's goal tally, his record in the biggest matches and the silverware he lifted in Germany.
As reported by French website "Foot Mercato", he said: "Kane was superior to him in all respects. He scored more goals, he knocked him out of the Champions League, he beat him in the World Cup, as well as winning titles in Germany."
His verdict on how Mbappé framed his campaign was blunt: "He made his message suggest that he delivered a far better season than he actually did."
Those words drag Mbappé's season under the microscope just as the announcement looms next Monday. With Yamal and Kane snapping at his heels, the row over what should decide the Ballon d'Or is only heating up.