Men's Ballon d'Or 2026 power rankings: will there be an English winner for the first time in 25 years?
With the 2026 Ballon d'Or looming, The Guardian has assembled power rankings assessing the sport's elite players. Harry Kane leads the discussion of whether England can end a 25-year drought stretching back to Michael Owen's 2001 triumph. Spain's Rodri and France's Kylian Mbappe are also prominently featured as frontrunners. The piece blends form analysis, trophy weight and narrative factors that traditionally sway voters. It is a snapshot of the current landscape rather than a confirmed shortlist.
Read the full story at theguardian.comBallon d'Or power rankings are a recurring fixture of the European football calendar and a useful barometer of how the season's narrative is shaping up among voters. The Guardian framing an English winner as a realistic possibility — with Kane at the centre of the conversation — reflects the strong campaign he has put together and the broader strength of the English contingent at the top clubs. Featuring Rodri and Mbappe alongside Kane underlines that this remains a three-horse conversation at minimum, with the usual caveats about Champions League runs and international tournaments weighting heavily in the final vote. For readers, it is a reminder that the race is wide open and that September is when the contours of the award begin to harden.
Context added by Socc360, not by theguardian.com.
Data source: theguardian.com (via Socc360). Last updated .
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