Did Mbappe and Yamal’s Ballon d’Or claims help Kane win the vote?

Harry Kane’s 2026 Ballon d’Or victory was built on outstanding numbers and a successful season with Bayern Munich and England, but the comments of fellow contenders Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal may also have influenced how voters viewed the race.

Both players publicly argued their case while journalists were deciding who should be named the world’s best player.

Mbappe makes his case

In a September interview with French newspaper L’Equipe, Real Madrid forward Mbappe said he believed he had a strong chance of winning the award and that it was one of his immediate ambitions.

“I don’t think any player had a better season than me,” he said.

Mbappe also stressed that the Ballon d’Or was an individual award, referring to the eras of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. He said it was not given to ordinary players but to those who produced exceptional performances, and added that he would vote for himself if asked to choose the winner.

His case was supported by 42 goals in 44 competitive matches for Real Madrid during the qualifying season. He also finished as the World Cup’s leading scorer with 10 goals.

However, Mbappe did not win major honours with either club or country during that campaign, giving Kane an advantage in the collective-achievement element of the vote.

Yamal enters the debate

Barcelona forward Yamal also became involved in the public discussion over the award’s criteria.

Speaking to Movistar Plus, he said the Ballon d’Or should go to the best player in the world rather than simply the player who scored 80 goals. Scoring that many, he suggested, deserved recognition as the leading goalscorer, while the Ballon d’Or represented something different. He added that many people did not understand the distinction.

The comments were interpreted as an indirect reference to Mbappe, whose individual form had been particularly impressive.

In earlier remarks in September, Yamal said he did not need to ask journalists for their votes. He said he had done remarkable work with Barcelona and Spain and would thank his team-mates if he won.

His later comments about prolific goalscorers, however, appeared to diminish one of Mbappe and Kane’s principal strengths.

The timing was significant. The 100 journalists involved in the vote represented the highest-ranked nations in FIFA’s rankings, and voting closed on 28 September. Each selected and ranked 10 players.

There is no evidence that either player’s comments directly changed specific votes, but their repeated claims may have appeared to some journalists as attempts to influence the decision rather than allowing performances to speak for themselves.

Kane’s numbers and approach

Kane adopted a more measured tone in an interview with Spanish newspaper Marca. He said he did not like talking too much about himself, but described the previous season as the best of his career individually and collectively.

“Scoring 73 goals in a season speaks for itself,” he said, while thanking his team-mates and everyone who had helped him reach that total.

He also acknowledged how difficult it was to choose between players who had enjoyed exceptional campaigns, saying the decision belonged to the journalists and that he could not control how they assessed the nominees.

Kane scored 61 goals for Bayern Munich in all competitions in 2025-2026, compared with 42 for Mbappe and 24 for Yamal in club competitions. Including his goals for England, he finished with 73 goals and eight assists in 65 matches.

He won the European Golden Shoe and helped Bayern claim the German Bundesliga, German Cup and German Super Cup. The award’s criteria prioritise decisive individual performances, followed by team achievements and trophies, then behaviour and sporting conduct.

Kane therefore combined individual excellence with collective success. Mbappe lacked major silverware, while Yamal’s scoring figures were well below Kane’s despite his creative contributions and honours with Barcelona and Spain.

It cannot be proven that Mbappe and Yamal’s statements directly secured Kane’s victory, but they may have given the Bayern striker an indirect advantage.