Kylian Mbappé, Lamine Yamal or even Ousmane Dembélé and Lionel Messi. The potential candidates for the 2026 Ballon d’Or are numerous and each supporter has their preference. Former players also have their ideas and Lothar Matthäus revealed his. The 1990 Ballon d’Or would welcome the victory of a certain Harry Kane.
The former midfielder spoke to Sky Sport. For him, one thing seems clear at first: Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé are no more the big favorites for the 2026 edition than others. And he detailed why. Concerning the FC Barcelona player, whom he judged to be“exceptional”he felt that the past year had not been undeniably and categorically his.
If he won the Spanish championship and the 2026 World Cup, his performance was part of a collective and he was only “one of many” players who participated in the various coronations. However, Lothar Matthäus stressed that the titles won will necessarily have a certain weight in the choice of voters. And this is precisely the point which, according to him, prevents Kylian Mbappé from being an indisputable favorite.
Lothar Matthäus votes for Harry Kane
Top scorer in La Liga, the Champions League and the World Cup this year, certainly, but no title for the Real Madrid player. For Lothar Matthäus, the one who wins his vote is in the Bundesliga, and more precisely at Bayern Munich. Former player of the Munich club, the German would like to see Harry Kane lift the Ballon d’Or trophy.
But here again, the English international’s CV for 2026 has good and bad points. National titles with Bayern, but only a semi-final of the Champions League and another half during the World Cup with the Three Lions. See you on October 26 to find out the verdict, along with the name of Ousmane Dembélé’s successor.
