Eight-time laureate Lionel Messi is in the 30-man shortlist for the 2026 Men's Ballon d'Or, with Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé among the favourites to succeed France's Ousmane Dembélé. Cape Verde's Vozinha has been shortlisted for the goalkeepers' Yashin Trophy after his heroics at the recent World Cup.
Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi have all made the 30-man shortlist for the 2026 Men's Ballon d'Or, while Cape Verde's World Cup hero Vozinha has been nominated for the Yashin award, organisers France Football announced on Tuesday.
Real Madrid's Mbappé did not win a trophy with his club this season but he scored 10 goals for France at the World Cup to become the tournament's all-time leading scorer.
Read more'This might be the year': Mbappé embraces Ballon d'Or talk after World Cup exploits
Kane had a stunning season with Bayern Munich and England, scoring 73 goals for club and country in 65 matches and helped secure a treble of Bundesliga, German Cup, and German Super Cup as well as leading his nation to the World Cup semi-finals.
Haaland netted 58 goals in 64 games for Manchester City and Norway, while eight-times Ballon d'Or winner Messi had 75 goal contributions in 49 matches for Inter Miami and Argentina, who he helped to reached the World Cup final.
Also among those on the shortlist are Jude Bellingham, Ousmane Dembélé and Lamine Yamal but not five-times winner Cristiano Ronaldo despite the Portugal forward lifting the Saudi Pro League title with Al-Nassr.
The women's shortlist includes Poland's Barcelona quadruple-winner Ewa Pajor, Alexia Putellas, who featured for Barca and Spain but has now joined London City Lionesses, and Manchester City's prolific Jamaica striker Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw.
Cape Verde's Vozinha was nominated for the Yashin Trophy awarded to the best goalkeeper, with his standout World Cup performances putting him on the 10-man shortlist after he helped his country advance from the tournament's group stage.
He will compete against Spain's World Cup-winner Unai Simon and Argentina's Emi Martinez plus fellow African nominees Yassine Bounou and Edouard Mendy.
The 70th edition of the Ballon d'Or will be staged in London for the first time at a ceremony on October 26 as a tribute to Stanley Matthews, who won the first Ballon d'Or.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters)
