Ballon d'or 2026 ranking: Breakdown of Nigeria's votes

The Ballon d’Or ceremony took place in London on Monday, and it ended in a quite interesting fashion, as Bayern Munich star Kane walked away with the coveted prize on the night.

He was one of the major front-runners for the award, alongside Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal and Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappé. In the final results, it turned out that Kane only bested second-placed Mbappé by 28 points; while Kane received 1,055 points, his French counterpart earned 1,027.

There was no Nigerian nominee in any of the categories, but what could be counted as a small win was the fact that Vicky López, who is half Nigerian, won the award for the best young female footballer. She has a Nigerian mother and a Spanish father, but despite efforts to get her to play for the Super Falcons, she opted to represent Spain.

lopez vicky of Barcelona at Ballon d'Or. — lopez vicky of Barcelona at Ballon d’Or. Copyright: ImagoxGARNIERxETIENNEx

The Ballon d’Or awards were decided by votes from prominent journalists across 100 countries, and of course, Nigeria was one of the countries that had a say.

In the voting reveal, it was confirmed that Nigeria’s representative was Score Nigeria’s Sam Audu. He voted Rodri first in his rankings, while Ousmane Dembélé was in second place. He also voted Mbappé fifth.

Had Audu and one other journalist voted Mbappé first, the Ballon d’Or could have easily gone to him.

Breakdown of Ballon d’Or Votes: The Top 10

These are the top 10 male players in the 2026 Ballon d’Or rankings.

Kane Harry and Putellas Alexia. Copyright: xFAUGERExFRANCKx

Harry Kane, 1,055 points
Kylian Mbappé, 1,027 points
Lamine Yamal, 881 points
Rodri, 726 points
Lionel Messi, 612 points
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, 541 points
Ousmane Dembélé, 418 points
Erling Haaland, 378 points
Michael Olise, 296 points
Fabian Ruiz, 201 points

Who Won 2026 Ballon D’or?

Ballon d'Or award. — Ballon d’Or award. Copyright: imago/AFLOSPORT

Bayern Munich star Harry Kane won the Ballon d’Or male category, while London City Lionesses star Alexia Putellas won the male category.

Going into next year’s edition, some Super Eagles stars will be eyeing a slot in the rankings. Recall that Victor Osimhen finished 8th three years ago. He will be hoping to produce some top displays for Galatasaray and the Super Eagles so he can earn a slot.