Less than a month before the prestigious ceremony which will be held in London on Monday October 26, the name of the winner of the 2026 Ballon d’Or remains particularly uncertain. Exceptional guest of the program Rothen s’ignite this Thursday on the RMC antenna, the former scorer of the Blues and coach of the Espoirs, Thierry Henry, engaged in an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the main candidates.
For Thierry Henry, the absence of an indisputable favorite is obvious. “This year it’s not clear,” the consultant immediately affirmed, before listing the reservations that the public and voters could have about each contender.
The Englishman Harry Kane, despite having had a great statistical season, thus faces, according to him, a significant handicap in terms of his individual recognition. “Who was voted best player in Germany? Olise. Who was England’s best player? Bellingham, he says. I just said it goes against Harry Kane. You want to be the best player in the world but you are not the best player in your league or the national team. I have nothing against Harry Kane, I love Harry Kane! »
Thierry Henry votes French
Concerning Jude Bellingham, the findings are mixed:
“He was extraordinary at the World Cup, unfortunately he didn’t have a good season with Real. » Spanish midfielder Rodri is suffering the consequences of his unavailability: “He was more than extraordinary but unfortunately with his problems (his knee injury) he had to come back and he didn’t really play and do well with Manchester City. » For the young Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal, Henry also has a slight international downside: “He was not good at the World Cup even though he is getting everyone to agree. And that didn’t stop Spain from winning. What I’m saying about all these players isn’t mean, but people might say: ‘Ah, he’s missing that.’ »
Faced with these doubts, Thierry Henry’s preference is clearly towards the Tricolores. “Let’s not forget that I am French. I experienced it and so did Franck RibĂ©ry,”
he recalls, before brushing aside the candidacy of Ousmane Dembélé by pointing “the lack of matches in the league last year… He still finished as the best French player. »
Finally, Titi places Kylian MbappĂ© and Michael Olise at the top of his list. Regarding the absence of a major title for the captain of the Blues: “Kylian didn’t win but I saw players win the Ballon d’Or without winning anything. There are 10-11 of them. It happened! I think Kylian can have it. » And about Olise’s season: “Michael Olise are we talking about it or not? He won everything. Best passer in the World Cup, Bundesliga and Champions League. What Kylian has for scorers, he has for passers. »
In conclusion, Henry assumes a pragmatic choice of heart:
“I am French. Why not push our French? “, concluding by emphasizing that “no matter who wins, it will not be undeserved. »
