Yamal sixth and Olise better than him: controversial choices by Australia's representative in Ballon d'Or voting

Australian journalist Daniel Garb turned heads with his 2026 Ballon d'Or vote once he revealed his selections, which featured some striking calls. The most eye-catching of all? Placing Lamine Yamal sixth, behind Michael Olise, despite where the Spanish star sat in the award race.

Garb has represented Australia in the Ballon d'Or vote since 2018, and he branded this year's edition the toughest yet. Choosing between the candidates proved near impossible, with the World Cup's impact and the players' varying fortunes at their clubs all muddying the waters.

Speaking to the Australian platform Football360, Garb revealed that he put England's Harry Kane first, ahead of France's Kylian Mbappé in second. He justified the call by pointing to the goalscoring gap between the pair.

Goals weren't his only yardstick, the Australian journalist explained, but the gap of around 15 goals tipped the scales in favour of the Bayern Munich striker.

He spent a long time weighing up Kane and Mbappé before landing on his final choice. Trim that goalscoring gap by five to ten goals, he admitted, and the French star might have edged it.

Messi third and Rodri fourth

Argentina's Lionel Messi landed third on Garb's ballot, ahead of Spain's Rodri in fourth, even though the latter was named best player at the World Cup.

Slotting Michael Olise fifth, ahead of Lamine Yamal in sixth, stood out as one of the boldest details in Garb's list, particularly given the fierce competition between the current generation's leading stars.

Rounding out the top ten came Georgia's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in seventh, Norway's Erling Haaland eighth, Spain's Pau Cubarsí ninth and England's Jude Bellingham tenth.

His choices in the other awards.

For the best goalkeeper award, Garb went with Spain's Unai Simón first, ahead of his compatriot David Raya, with Cape Verde's Vozinha third.

Over in the best coach category, he put Spain's Luis de la Fuente first, ahead of Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta.

As for best club, Garb picked Arsenal first, ahead of Paris Saint-Germain.