Why Yamal lost Ballon d'Or — Chief organiser explains

France Football editor-in-chief Vincent Garcia has revealed that a split in voting among Spain's 2026 FIFA World Cup-winning squad is the primary reason Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal finished third in the 2026 Ballon d'Or.

While the 19-year-old winger captured a historic third Kopa Trophy, his bid for the ultimate prize was derailed by the collective brilliance of his international teammates, most notably midfielder Rodri.

Following a dominant summer where Spain secured the World Cup, multiple Spanish candidates were propelled to the top of the ballot, inadvertently cannibalising each other's support.

Speaking after the ceremony in London, Garcia detailed how international success worked against Yamal.

"I do think there was a split in the voting between Rodri and Lamine Yamal from that Spanish team that won the World Cup," Garcia explained to L’Equipe. "I think Rodri took votes away from Lamine in this ballot."

Rodri, who was crowned the best player of the World Cup, finished fourth in the Ballon d'Or standings, sitting just behind Yamal and siphoning crucial first-place votes away from the teenager.

Garcia noted that Spain's cohesive setup made it incredibly difficult for the 100 global journalists to isolate a single standout star.

"There was some fragmentation of the Spanish vote and, above all, Spain stood out as a team. That’s why it was difficult to single out one individual performance as being clearly above the rest," Garcia added.

With the Spanish voting bloc divided, the path was cleared for Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane to claim his first Ballon d'Or, becoming the first Englishman to win the award since Michael Owen in 2001.

Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé finished as the runner-up in second place. Garcia confirmed that the battle between the two prolific goalscorers was incredibly tight.

"The battle between Kane and Mbappe was incredibly close," Garcia stated, noting that the margin was even smaller than the 41-point gap between Rodri and Vinícius Júnior in 2024. "Mbappe led the race for a long time, but Kane ultimately came out on top."

Kane's victory was fueled by an astonishing 2025/26 campaign where he amassed 73 goals across all competitions for club and country.