Guti accuses Ballon d'Or of being rigged after Harry Kane's London triumph

Harry Kane won the 2026 Ballon d’Or on Monday evening in London, ahead of Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal at the 70th edition of the trophy. The Bayern Munich striker’s triumph immediately triggered a wave of protest in Spain, led notably by former Real Madrid midfielder Guti.

Appearing on El Chiringuito shortly after the ceremony, the former Spanish international turned consultant did not mince words. He first pointed to the geographical coincidence between the event’s location and the winner’s nationality: “It just so happens that for its 70th edition, the ceremony takes place in London and is won by a Londoner. What a coincidence! It’s quite a coincidence that they organize the awards ceremony in London and that it’s a Londoner who wins, isn’t it?”

Guti went further by questioning the legitimacy of the vote itself. “Frankly, everything seems directed, completely. That’s the impression I have, and it’s what I’ve always thought about this prize,” he declared, without providing evidence to support his claims.

The former player with over 500 matches in the white shirt also based his reasoning on Kane’s own reaction during the trophy presentation. According to him, the English striker’s expression betrayed genuine surprise at how his rivals ranked: “He would never have believed in his life that he was going to win. I think he thought that Lamine Yamal and Mbappé were going to surpass him. You don’t make that face when you receive the Ballon d’Or.”

The crowning of the former Tottenham striker, preferred over two players developed in Spain, thus reignited recurring tensions surrounding the credibility of the vote organized by France Football, with part of the Iberian press joining Guti in his bewilderment.