AS, citing France Football, reported that the published 2026 Ballon d'Or voting details showed Lionel Messi finished fifth overall but was ranked first by voters from six countries. The breakdown also showed that Ousmane Dembélé, who claimed the award in 2025, did not receive a single first-place vote from any nation.
Messi topped six national ballots
According to the voting details published by France Football, voters from Brazil, Argentina, Panama, Belarus, the United Arab Emirates and China all put Messi first.
China placed Kylian Mbappé fifth.
Dembélé ended seventh overall
France Football's breakdown showed Dembélé finished seventh in the final standings.
Dembélé was placed second on the lists of Burkina Faso, China, France, Georgia, Haiti, North Macedonia and Nigeria.
Mbappé and Haaland vote distribution
Paraguay's voter had Mbappé third. Across Africa, 9 of the 20 participating countries made Mbappé their first choice.
Erling Haaland had no first-place votes, while the representatives of Croatia, Northern Ireland and Norway each picked him second.
Olise's only first-place vote
Michael Olise got his only first-place vote from the journalist representing Curaçao.
