Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe were supposed to be battling it out for the Ballon d’Or after the World Cup, but both of them crashed out, and now Lionel Messi, fresh off an absurd tournament, is right back in the mix for soccer’s biggest individual prize. Can you even believe it? The favorites, who everyone pegged for this award, didn’t even win the tournament. This whole thing feels wide open, and it’s making for some wild drama.
The Big Names Stumble Hard
So, remember when everyone thought the Ballon d’Or race was a three-horse show with Harry Kane, Michael Olise, and Kylian Mbappe? Yeah, that feels like a lifetime ago. All three of those guys failed to win the World Cup, which immediately blew this whole competition wide open. Get this: Kane, the guy everyone thought was a shoo-in, didn’t even end up as the sole highest scorer on his own England squad! What gives with that? When the frontrunners trip up this badly, you know something unexpected is brewing, and that’s exactly what we’re seeing right now.
Messi’s Surge and a Major Award Shake-Up
Just when you thought you knew what was happening, Lionel Messi pulls off an “absurd tournament” and catapults himself right back into the conversation. Talk about a plot twist! This award isn’t just about calendar years anymore either; since Ousmane Dembele won it in 2025, it covers a full European season from August 1 to July 31. But don’t sweat it, players like Messi, who aren’t in those European league cycles, are still totally eligible. Why? Because those old geographic restrictions got ditched way back in 2007. And nope, you don’t even have to win the World Cup to snag this trophy, which honestly just muddies the waters even more and makes it way more exciting for us fans.
The Subjective Scramble for the Top Spot
So, how do they actually decide this thing? There are three main pillars: individual performance with all the stats, team achievements, and then the super subjective “class and fair play.” That last one is where this award can really go off the rails, you know? We’ve seen some wild stuff before, like in 2020 when Robert Lewandowski was practically a lock but the award got canceled due to COVID. Then in 2021, he came in second to Messi, even winning a special “striker of the year” award back-to-back. Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo held a crazy monopoly on this thing, winning 13 times since 2008, with only Luka Modric and Karim Benzema breaking that streak. Since Messi moved to Inter Miami in 2023, we’ve seen Rodri and Dembele take it home. Rodri’s win came during what was called a “down season” for candidates, even with Manchester City winning the treble and Spain snagging the European Championship. Plus, Vinicius Junior was expected to win that year, and Real Madrid actually boycotted the ceremony! With no clear frontrunner right now, it feels like we’re heading for another shocker.
This Ballon d’Or race has no clear leader, and the World Cup just threw a massive curveball into the whole thing. Will Harry Kane, still somehow the odds-on favorite, pull it off, or are we about to witness another truly unexpected champion crowned for the 2026 season? I’m on the edge of my seat, waiting to see who emerges from this chaos.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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