GOAL examined whether public Ballon d'Or comments by Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal may have given Harry Kane an indirect advantage in the 2026 award race. Kane went on to win the 2026 Ballon d'Or.
Mbappé's remarks and numbers
GOAL said Mbappé and Yamal made public statements asserting their worthiness to win the Ballon d'Or, at the very time journalists were voting to choose the best in the world. GOAL said that, speaking to the French newspaper L'Équipe last September, Mbappé expressed his confidence in his worthiness to claim the award, saying he believed he had a chance to win it and that it was one of his near-term goals, adding: "I do not think any player has produced a better season than me."
GOAL said Mbappé scored 42 goals in 44 competitive matches with Real Madrid during the season under review. GOAL also said he topped the list of scorers at the World Cup with 10 goals, but did not win any major titles with his club or his national team during the same season.
Yamal on the award criteria
In an interview with Movistar Plus, Yamal said the Ballon d'Or should be awarded to the best player in the world, not to a player who scores 80 goals. GOAL said Yamal had earlier in September asserted that he did not need to plead with journalists to secure their votes.
GOAL said the voting jury comprised 100 sports journalists representing the top-ranked countries in the FIFA list, and voting closed on 28 September.
Kane's remarks and season numbers
GOAL said Kane, speaking to Marca, did not like to talk much about himself and described last season as the best of his career, at both the individual and collective levels.
GOAL said Kane scored 61 goals with Bayern Munich during the 2025-2026 season. GOAL also said Kane's tally rose to 73 goals, alongside eight assists in 65 matches, when his England goals were included. GOAL said he won the European Golden Shoe and helped Bayern win the German league, the German Cup and the German Super Cup.