More

    “He was the best individually” – Thierry Henry names his favourite to win 2026 Ballon d’Or 

    Gossip
    Runfyers
    0

    Former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry picked Real Madrid hitman Kylian Mbappe to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or because of the outstanding individual season he has had with club and country.

    Mbappe, 27, struck 42 times in his sophomore campaign at the Santiago Bernabeu, including 25 strikes in La Liga, to win a second straight Pichichi award. The Frenchman also top-scored in the UEFA Champions League with 15 goals, even as Los Blancos were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Bayern Munich.

    The 2018 FIFA World Cup winner then netted 10 times for France at the 2026 World Cup in North America to win a record second Golden Boot, becoming the competition’s all-time top-scorer with 22 strikes.

    While the Frenchman is one of the strong contenders for the Ballon d’Or, the fact that he didn’t win any major silverware could go against him, unlike some of the others like Lamine Yamal and Harry Kane, who won big titles with club or country.

    Nevertheless, Henry – who finished behind Pavel Nedved in the 2003 Ballon d’Or race – reckons this year’s award should go to Mbappe as he explained (as per Madrid Xtra):

    “Ballon d’Or? Kylian for me deserves it. He was the best individually. He was the top goalscorer in the UCL, La Liga and World Cup.”

    Yamal, who won the La Liga and Supercopa de Espana double with Barcelona, was part of the Spain team that won the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Meanwhile, Kane captained England to third place in the World Cup after winning the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich.

    Who are some of the other prominent names nominated for the 2026 Ballon d’Or?

    Paris Saint-Germain vs AS Monaco - Ligue 1 McDonald's 2026-27 - Source: Getty
    Paris Saint-Germain vs AS Monaco – Ligue 1 McDonald’s 2026-27 – Source: Getty

    Apart from the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Lamine Yamal and Harry Kane, some of the other top names nominated for the 2026 Ballon d’Or on Tuesday (September 8) include 2025 winner Ousmane Dembele and nine-time winner Lionel Messi.

    While Dembele won the Ligue 1-UEFA Champions League double with Paris Saint-Germain, his France team finished fourth at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Meanwhile, Messi won the MLS Cup with Inter Miami last season and led holders Argentina to a runner-up finish at the World Cup.

    The 39-year-old scored eight times and provided four assists in eight games as the Albiceleste lost 1-0 to Spain in the final in extra time, finishing the game with 10 men following Enzo Fernandez’s second-half dismissal.