Ballon d'Or 2026: Croatian Juror Admits Ranking Kane Too Low

Harry Kane won the 2026 Ballon d’Or at a ceremony held at London Palladium, ahead of Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal, rewarded for an exceptional season of 73 goals in 65 matches across all competitions. But one jury member’s vote is already sparking controversy.

Zdravko Reic, a Croatian journalist and his country’s representative on the jury, publicly revealed his Top 10 in the pages of media outlet Vecernji list. His ranking places Rodri at the top, followed by Erling Haaland, Lionel Messi, Ferran Torres, Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane (6th), Pau Cubarsí, Vitinha, Ousmane Dembélé and Jude Bellingham. Lamine Yamal, third in the official ranking, does not appear.

To justify his choices, Reic explained that he relied almost exclusively on performances at the 2026 World Cup. “My criteria are as follows: 2026 was the year of the World Cup. And on that basis, the results and performances of players at this World Cup automatically determined my vote. Everything else, the Ligue des Champions and all other competitions, takes a back seat,” he said.

This lens explains the top spot given to Rodri, named best player of the World Cup, as well as the presence of Haaland (for Norway’s performances), Messi (finalist with Argentina) and Ferran Torres (scorer in the final). Regarding Kane, the journalist nevertheless acknowledged his mistake: “I must now admit that it was an error. I was wrong to rank Kane so low.”

Reic stands by the exclusion of Lamine Yamal from his Top 10, however. “I did not include him because he arrived at the World Cup injured, did not play much and his contribution, compared to that of other players on the Spanish national team, was minimal, even negligible,” he argued.