The Ballon d'Or won't be handed out until October, but that hasn't stopped the game's biggest names from making their case for who should lift it. Harry Kane and Lamine Yamal are the favourites according to the odds, with Kylian Mbappe, Rodri and Lionel Messi also in the conversation. Mirror Football asked a string of current players for their picks, and the answers show just how divided opinion really is.
Yamal's case rests on a stacked season with Barcelona, where he won the La Liga title and Supercopa and reached the Champions League quarter-finals, before lifting the World Cup with Spain at 19. Kane, meanwhile, swept every domestic trophy on offer with Bayern while scoring 61 goals, then captained England to the World Cup semi-finals and scored five goals at the tournament.
Team-mates back Yamal and Kane
Barcelona's Raphinha left no room for doubt over his own team-mate. "I have no doubts. Lamine Yamal should win the Ballon d'Or," he said. "It depends on individual stats, collective titles, magic, charisma, and many things. Lamine has them all. He has incredible numbers, and not only last season. Three titles, with a World Cup."
Kane has plenty of backing too. Arsenal's Declan Rice, nominated himself after his part in the club's Premier League title and Champions League final run, said: "I'd love to see Harry Kane win it, so I'm wishing him all the best in that." Bayern team-mate Michael Olise agreed Kane "was the best player last season," while Luis Diaz went further: "He does everything. attacks, defends, assists. He was one of the top scorers in the whole world last season. That's why I think he deserves it. 100%."
Messi still has believers
Despite Argentina's near miss at the World Cup, Lionel Messi's aura hasn't faded for everyone. Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez was unequivocal: "Who will win the Ballon d'Or? Messi. Without doubt. He is the best in the world. He is the best in the history of this sport. As long as he is on the pitch, he will have a chance."
Sir David Beckham made a similar case after Inter Miami's Campeones Cup win, pointing to Messi's World Cup form at 39. "It's not luck that he's being considered for the Ballon d'Or again," Beckham told Major League Soccer. "He deserves to be considered for the Ballon d'Or. In my opinion, he should win it. You have great players in there, like Harry Kane, Kylian and Jude Bellingham, and other players. But when talking about Leo, I'm his biggest supporter."
The self-nominations
A couple of contenders were happy to back themselves. Yamal, who has won the Kopa Trophy in consecutive years, told Movistar+: "I think that maybe there are two of us who are the best in the world... for me, Mbappe and I are the two best in the world. For me, it's very clear, and everyone who watches the games knows it."
Mbappe, speaking to France Football, was just as direct: "I believe I can win it this year. It's one of my objectives, and a short-term one at that."
Rodri wants a Spaniard, PSG teammates back each other
New Barcelona signing Rodri threw his support behind Yamal while making clear his priority is seeing a Spanish winner. "I think that a 19-year-old who has been able to win what Lamine has won is impressive; it already speaks to his stature as a player," he told Mundo Deportivo. "I would like a Spaniard to win it, whether it's Lamine, Pau, Fabian, or even me, whoever is nominated."
Over at PSG, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Ousmane Dembele are backing each other rather than themselves. Kvaratskhelia told Ligue 1 Plus he would vote for Dembele: "He was there to support us and help the team... it is very easy to understand how he plays football." Dembele, the current holder of the award, returned the compliment: "I hope that a Parisien will win the Ballon d'Or and especially Kvara, who had an incredible season with PSG. He made a difference in all of the big matches."
With so many contenders and so much divided loyalty even among team-mates, the only certainty ahead of October's ceremony is that whoever wins will have plenty of rivals to convince.
