Who deserves to win the Ballon d'Or 2026? Henry answers

France's Thierry Henry, the former Arsenal and Barcelona star, has named his leading candidate to win the Ballon d'Or in 2026.

"France Football" magazine unveiled the thirty-man shortlist for the 2026 Ballon d'Or yesterday, Tuesday. Among them sits Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappé, and he has Henry's backing to land the award.

Henry told "Foot Mercato": "Had he won the World Cup, I think Lionel Messi would have won the Ballon d'Or. And Michael Olise would not have been far behind him. But Kylian Mbappé is my favourite."

He added: "Some will tell me he has not won anything. I think some people should search a little to discover that some Ballon d'Or winners did not win anything in the year before their victory."

Next matches

SAN

LaLiga

01 Nov 2026

10:15

RMA

He continued: "For me, Kylian is the best. When you see what he achieved on an individual level: top scorer in the Champions League, top scorer in La Liga, top scorer at the World Cup... Olise has the same achievement in terms of assists. It is remarkable. I would choose Kylian, with Michael Olise close behind him."

The list of candidates for the 2026 Ballon d'Or included:

Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid, England)

Pau Cubarsí (Barcelona, Spain)

Marc Cucurella (Chelsea, Spain)

Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain, France)

Luis Díaz (Bayern Munich, Colombia)

Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United, Portugal)

Gabriel (Arsenal, Brazil)

Erling Haaland (Manchester City, Norway)

Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain, Morocco)

Harry Kane (Bayern Munich, England)

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Paris Saint-Germain, Georgia)

Lamine Yamal (Barcelona, Spain)

Sadio Mané (Al-Nassr, Senegal)

Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain, Brazil)

Lautaro Martínez (Inter Milan, Argentina)

Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid, France)

Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain, Portugal)

Lionel Messi (Inter Miami, Argentina)

João Neves (Paris Saint-Germain, Portugal)

Michael Olise (Bayern Munich, France)

Willian Pacho (Paris Saint-Germain, Ecuador)

Julián Quiñones (Al-Qadsiah, Mexico)

Declan Rice (Arsenal, England)

Rodri (Manchester City, Spain)

Fabián Ruiz (Paris Saint-Germain, Spain)

William Saliba (Arsenal, France)

Ferran Torres (Barcelona, Spain)

Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich, France)

Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid, Brazil)

Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain, Portugal)

You can discuss the topics and news in more depth in the Kooora forums