France Football chief reveals the subtle secrets behind the 2026 Ballon d'Or

Following the ceremony held in London, the 2026 Ballon d'Or raised one of the biggest questions in the football community: why did the 19-year-old phenomenon, who became a World Champion and La Liga winner, Lamine Yamal fail to win the top award? Addressing this issue, France Football editor-in-chief and award director Vincent Garcia Sport.es clarified in an interview with the publication.

According to Garcia, the split of votes among members of the Spanish national team and the high points received by the Barcelona midfielder Rodriprevented Yamal from taking home the top prize.

Vote distribution and the collective football phenomenon

Vincent Garcia clearly explained the decisive psychological and tactical factors in the voting:

• Competition among Spanish stars: “I think that within the Spanish team that became world champions, the votes were split between Rodri and Lamine Yamal. Rodri took a portion of the crucial votes that could have gone to Lamine,” he emphasized;

• Not an individual star, but a cohesive team: The Spanish national team relied on a cohesive system rather than individuals at the 2026 World Cup. Therefore, it was difficult for the jury to single out the personal role of one specific player;

• Yamal's performance at the World Cup: According to the organizer, Lamine started the tournament with an injury and scored only once during the competition, which was also taken into account in the evaluation.

Harry Kane's advantage and a personal voting confession

The event director also touched upon the superiority of the winner, Harry Kane, and his own choice:

• Kane's perfect season: “As for Harry Kane, he is truly a great goalscorer. The jury considered him the player who demonstrated the most perfectly balanced qualities among all candidates,” said Garcia;

• Unexpected personal vote: Vincent Garcia admitted that he also voted for a candidate who did not end up winning: “I also voted for a player who didn't win. In my opinion, he was also very deserving of the award. You will find out the full details on Saturday.”

The 2026 Ballon d'Or top four