Italian journalist explains why he voted Mbappe over Kane for 2026 Ballon d’Or
Harry Kane with the Ballon d'Or trophy (@ballondor via X)
Paolo Condò was the journalist selected to represent Italy in the 2026 Ballon d’Or voting process, and he has explained why he did not include winner Harry Kane in his top three selections, instead opting for Kylian Mbappe.
Italian representative votes Mbappe for 2026 Ballon d’Or, leaves Kane off his top three
England and Bayern Munich centre-forward Kane was awarded the 2026 Ballon d’Or, the most prestigious individual award in world football, at the ceremony at the Palladium in London on Monday night.
He became the first Englishman to claim the award in 25 years and is one of only five of his countrymen to have won the Ballon d’Or since its first edition in 1956.
- Read more: Ballon d’Or history: All the Italians and Serie A stars to lift football’s most prestigious award
Behind Kane in the final 2026 Ballon d’Or standings were Mbappe (2nd), Lamine Yamal (3rd), Rodri (4th) and Lionel Messi (5th). In order, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Dembele, Erling Haaland, Michael Olise and Fabian Ruiz completed the top 10.
But how was this all decided?
The Ballon d’Or is decided upon by an international jury of specialised journalists with one representative per country for the top 100 FIFA-ranked nations (top 50 for the women’s award).
Each of the selected journalists select 10 players from the 30-player shortlist. Those 10 players are awarded 15, 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 point depending on their placement. The Ballon d’Or is then awarded to the player with the highest overall score.
Representing Italy in the vote was Corriere della Sera and Sky Sport Italia journalist Condò, who did not have eventual winner Kane in his top three. He instead voted for Mbappe, Rodri in second place and Kharatskhelia in third.
Condò confirmed in an article for the Corriere della Sera that he voted for Unai Simon for the Yashin award, Paris Saint-Germain for men’s club of the year and Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta for the men’s coach of the year.
Condò also explained why he decided to vote for Mbappe over Kane, citing the fact that the Frenchman outscored the Englishman in both the Champions League and World Cup.
He felt that there was no ‘indisputable winner’, and described 2026 as the most ‘uncertain’ Ballon d’Or vote of all time. He also suggested that there is a growing possibility that Mbappe, now 27, could end up retiring without winning the Ballon d’Or, which he had hoped to correct.
He described eventual winner Kane as: “A splendid, 360 degree striker, who probably benefitted from the ‘career effect’ in the most uncertain award of all time.”
Condò continued: “In the absence of an indisputable winner, I also made my choices by thinking beyond one single season. By placing Mbappe at the top of my list, I’d hoped to eliminate the possibility of a star of that level retiring without having won a Ballon d’Or.
“Mbappe is 27 years old, plays for Real Madrid, and therefore on paper he still probably has a chance until at least 2032. But, the feeling is that the 19-year-old Yamal will soon begin to win them regularly, and that if anything, it will be a different Frenchman in Olise who will contend for them next.
“So, disturbed by the idea that the best contemporary player might not ever win the most prestigious individual award, I decided to priorities the first criterion set out by the jury: Individual performance, rewarding his season that did not include team victories, but three different top scorer titles: In LaLiga with 25 goals, in the Champions League with 15 and at the World Cup with 10. Kane scored even more, but in the two tournaments in which they competed, the Frenchman prevailed.”
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