Ballon d'Or 2026: Vincent Garcia's vote for Mbappé sparks controversy

France Football editor-in-chief Vincent Garcia finds himself at the centre of controversy following the publication of detailed Ballon d’Or 2026 votes, revealed Friday evening by L’Équipe. Garcia placed Kylian Mbappé at the top of his ranking, ahead of Ousmane Dembélé and Lamine Yamal, relegating Harry Kane — ultimately crowned winner — to sixth place.

The narrow final margin between the two favourites makes the vote particularly sensitive: Kane won the trophy with 1,055 points, just 28 more than Mbappé (1,027). In such a tight context, every ballot counts, and that of the head of the organising publication attracts particular attention.

Critics rely notably on Garcia’s own previous statements, in which he acknowledged following the vote’s progress in real time during the voting period and observing that Mbappé had long held first place before being overtaken by Kane. “When he voted, he knew the current results. So he put Kane very far down to try to tip the scales towards Mbappé. Shameful,” wrote an influential social media user on X, summing up the sentiment of some observers.

Other criticisms target the consistency of the vote with the trophy’s official criteria. Journalist Julien Froment pointed out a contradiction: “The head of France Football who puts him at the top of the Ballon d’Or when criterion 2 — which he must guarantee — is collective performance and honours.” Mbappé had a mixed 2024-2025 season on the collective front, while Kane finished as Bundesliga’s top scorer with Bayern Munich.

The affair raises a governance question: should the editor-in-chief of the publication organising the vote have access to partial results during the voting period? France Football has not publicly responded to the accusations levelled against Garcia.