Ballon d'Or 2026: Greek Juror Ignores Mbappé and Yamal, Places Willian Pacho on Podium

The detailed voting breakdown for the 2026 Ballon d’Or, unveiled Friday evening by L’Équipe and France Football, highlighted a particularly puzzling ballot: that of Greek juror Manos Staramopoulos, a journalist for Dimokratia, who ignored two of the three finalists on the final podium.

While winner Harry Kane was ranked first by 40 of the 100 jury members and Kylian Mbappé — ranked first by 23 voters — ultimately finished just 28 points behind the English striker, Staramopoulos gave neither Mbappé nor Lamine Yamal, third in the overall standings, any place in his top 10. Kane himself appears only in seventh position.

The choice to place Khvicha Kvaratskhelia at the top of the list remains defensible: the Georgian winger at PSG had a solid season, particularly in the Ligue des Champions. But the rest of the ballot raises eyebrows. Rodri ranks second, followed by Willian Pacho in third — the Ecuadorian defender at Inter Milan, who had a good European season, but far removed from the level of recognition typically afforded to finalists in this position. Marc Cucurella and João Neves complete the top five, ahead of Michael Olise, Kane, Gabriel, Marquinhos and Declan Rice.

The Ballon d’Or regulations do specify clear criteria — individual performances, collective honours, fair play — intended to guide each voter. This ballot clearly departs from them, and illustrates once again the limitations of a voting system whose transparency, while genuine, does not guarantee consistency of judgment.