Who will succeed Ousmane Dembélé on the Ballon d’Or list? While no name really emerges this year from the main contenders, Kylian Mbappé seems to have his chances, like Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Harry Kane or even Lamine Yamal, of winning for the first time in his career the most prestigious individual award in football.
Moreover, within Real Madrid, we decided to support the captain of the France team. “The best players in the world, there are two, three, or four of them, and we know who they are: they are here. And for me there is one who, individually, made history this summer (during the 2026 World Cup, editor’s note)”José Mourinho recently declared in reference to Mbappé.
If the “Special one” votes for Kylian Mbappé, Luka Modric has adopted a posture of absolute neutrality. Asked about the subject by A.S. As the reveal of the list of 30 nominees approaches (this Tuesday, September 8), the AC Milan midfielder, winner of the prize in 2018, refused to name a favorite or mention any names.
Mbappé or Bellingham, “I don’t want to name anyone or say who deserves it the most”
“Honestly, I don’t know. I don’t want to name anyone or say who deserves it the most. The public will vote (The voters are 100 journalists from the top 100 nations in the Fifa ranking, editor’s note) and will decide the winner. There are many candidates, from Real Madrid and other teams. We’ll see who wins, I prefer not to give any names.”explained the legend of the White House.
However, the Croatian did not hide being particularly impressed by Jude Bellingham. Despite this obvious affection, Luka Modric refused to take the plunge to officially make him his number one candidate. “From day one, I saw something different in him”he simply blurted out. As a reminder, the Ballon d’Or will be awarded on October 26 in London.
