AS editor questions Harry Kane’s Ballon d’Or win: ‘My ranking was right, but reversed’

Harry Kane’s Ballon d’Or 2026 victory has been questioned by Jose Felix Diaz, the editor of Spanish newspaper AS and Spain’s only representative on the voting panel.

Kane beat Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal to the award at a ceremony in London, with the two forwards completing the podium. But Diaz suggested his own vote placed the same three players in a different order.

Speaking on the popular El Larguero programme on Cadena SER, Diaz gave an indication of his ballot without revealing it in full.

“My ranking is the same, but Kane, Mbappe and Lamine are in different positions,” he said. “My top three choices remain the same, but they are not in the order eventually announced.”

Diaz did not say whether Mbappe or Yamal had been his first choice. His complete vote will be known on Saturday, when France Football is due to publish the full and detailed results for every voter.

‘Kane is missing something’

Diaz also made clear that he did not believe Kane was the most deserving winner of the prize.

The England striker delivered a lengthy acceptance speech in which he appeared unable to fully believe his achievement, highlighting his exceptional goalscoring record as his principal argument. However, Diaz said Kane’s statistics were not enough to make him his preferred choice.

“I think Harry Kane is a great player, but I was expecting Kylian Mbappe or Lamine Yamal to win,” he said. “I do not know how to explain it, but in my opinion he is missing something.”

His comments have raised questions over the factors that influence the award, including whether goals alone should outweigh a player’s wider influence and charisma.

Diaz said he correctly predicted nine of the eventual top 10, and described this year’s contest as one of the most open in the award’s history. It was his first appearance as the representative of the Spanish media on the voting panel.

“The advantage of this edition is that five or six players could have won,” he said. “It was one of the most open editions in history.”

Spanish players split the vote

Diaz also addressed why Lamine Yamal and Rodri finished third and fifth respectively as the highest-ranked Spanish players.

He said the outcome reflected the same issue identified by the president of France Football: support for Spain’s players had been divided, with no single member of the national team standing clearly above the others.

“I think the votes for the Spanish players were very close, and no player from the national team stood out above the rest,” Diaz said. “I believe that was a major obstacle for them. Winning the World Cup deserved to be highlighted more.”

Despite the result, Diaz praised the overall strength of Spanish football, saying it was clearly ahead of any other country.

He named Unai Simon and Luis de la Fuente as the two leading figures in Spanish men’s football this year, and also praised Barcelona’s women’s team.

“What Barcelona are doing in women’s football is admirable,” he said, referring to Alexia Putellas regaining the women’s Ballon d’Or.