Gullit names Mbappe as Kane's biggest Ballon d'Or rival with no clear frontrunner

Ruud Gullit has identified Kylian Mbappe as the most dangerous rival to Harry Kane’s Ballon d’Or hopes, arguing that no single candidate has done enough to separate themselves from the pack ahead of the October ceremony.

The former Ballon d’Or winner, speaking with ComeOn, narrowed the field to three names — Mbappe, Kane and Lamine Yamal — but admitted he cannot split them. “I think this year the winner is going to be picked out of personal preference, not so much on what they have achieved,” Gullit said.

Gullit acknowledged Kane’s remarkable Bundesliga campaign, where the Bayern Munich striker finished as the division’s top scorer, but noted that the World Cup and Champions League painted a more complicated picture. “What Kane has done in Germany is unbelievable, but then I watched the World Cup, and I watched the Champions League, and what Mbappe and Yamal did is also unbelievable,” he said.

On Mbappe, Gullit pointed to the Frenchman’s status as the World Cup’s top scorer as a legitimate credential, while conceding that Yamal’s youth and the absence of a dominant individual performance in the World Cup final complicate the Barcelona winger’s claim. “He was not the star of the World Cup final, and he didn’t make it to the Champions League final,” Gullit noted of Yamal.

Gullit also mentioned Erling Haaland — Premier League top scorer and a double trophy winner — and Rodri, who he described as “excellent for Spain” with “a fantastic World Cup”, as names deserving consideration, even if he ultimately settled on his trio of finalists.

Kane’s candidacy carries historical baggage. The England captain has repeatedly been overlooked for the award despite sustained individual excellence, a pattern Gullit implicitly acknowledged by framing the vote as one of preference rather than objective merit.

“I can understand why people would vote for Mbappe, why people would vote for Kane,” Gullit said. “That’s why they are the three I would pick, but don’t ask me to pick just one of them.”

With no candidate having won the Champions League this cycle, the Ballon d’Or electorate faces an unusually open vote — one that Gullit suggests could ultimately reward whoever resonates most personally with the judges.