Voting for the Ballon d’Or closes next week, and by a quirk of the fixture list it just so happens that the two favourites for the award meet at Wembley on Saturday night. England’s brave bronze men take on Spain’s World Cup winners, and beyond the chance to take charge of 2026/27 Uefa Nations League 1C, the game offers Harry Kane and Lamine Yamal one last opportunity to woo swing voters.
One hundred journalists from around the world will decide who receives the trophy at a London ceremony next month, and they have spent the past few days being told who to vote for. Thomas Tuchel says it must be Kane, Hansi Flick thinks it should be his star Yamal, Jose Mourinho thinks his best player Kylian Mbappe should win, Inter Miami owner David Beckham is backing Lionel Messi, and reigning orb-holder Ousmane Dembele says the trophy must stay in Paris.
