Ballon d’Or Voting Raises Eyebrows After Mbappé and Yamal Miss Out on a Single Point
The Ballon d’Or is decided by a panel of international football journalists, but the individual ballots can be just as fascinating as the final results. This year, votes from Greece and Ukraine drew attention for their unexpected selections—most notably, leaving Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal completely out of their top tens.
According to L’Équipe, Greek journalist Manos Staramopoulos did not award a single point to either Mbappé, who finished second overall, or Yamal, who placed third. His ballot stood out because both players were among the leading names in the final standings, yet neither appeared anywhere on his personal list of ten candidates.
The omission was especially significant for Mbappé. The Real Madrid forward finished just 28 points behind newly crowned winner Harry Kane, meaning that even a modest number of points from Greece could have narrowed the gap. Ballon d’Or voting is determined by the combined preferences of journalists, so every individual ranking can contribute to the final total.
A Surprising Ranking From the Greek Ballot
Staramopoulos’s choices were notable beyond the absence of Mbappé and Yamal. He placed Kane only seventh, despite the Bayern Munich striker ultimately winning the award. The Greek journalist ranked Paris Saint-Germain defender Willian Pacho third and Real Madrid left-back Marc Cucurella fourth—both ahead of Kane, Mbappé and Yamal on his ballot.
That does not necessarily mean the journalist viewed those players as better in every respect. Ballon d’Or voters may weigh different factors, including individual performances, team success, consistency, influence in decisive matches and a player’s contribution over the voting period. A defender’s impact can be less visible in goal and assist statistics, but strong performances at the back may still earn recognition from voters who prioritize balance and tactical importance.
Still, the rankings offered a sharp contrast with the broader verdict. Kane collected enough support across the international jury to finish first, while Pacho and Cucurella were among the more unconventional high placements on the Greek list. Such differences are part of what makes the award’s voting process a recurring source of debate among football fans.
Ukraine’s Voter Also Leaves Mbappé Out
Greece was not the only country whose ballot produced an unexpected order. Ukrainian journalist Igor Linnyk also excluded Mbappé from his top ten, denying the French star any points from that vote. Linnyk ranked Kane ninth and Yamal seventh, while placing Barcelona defensive prospect Pau Cubarsí second.
Cubarsí’s position was another striking choice. The young defender’s inclusion so high on the list highlighted the value some voters place on emerging talent and defensive maturity, even when a player’s profile is less prominent than that of established attacking stars. For supporters, it also showed how a Ballon d’Or ballot can reflect an individual journalist’s interpretation of a season rather than simply mirror the leading names in the overall race.
The two ballots shared one major feature: Mbappé received no points from either Greece or Ukraine. But their wider selections were different. Linnyk gave Yamal a place in his top ten, while Staramopoulos left the Barcelona youngster out altogether. Their choices underline how national voting representatives can reach very different conclusions from the same shortlist.
How the Ballon d’Or Voting System Works
The award’s jury consists of 100 journalists, with one representative from each of the 100 highest-ranked countries in the FIFA world rankings. Each voter selects a personal top ten from the 30 nominated players. The first-place choice receives 15 points, followed by 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 point for the remaining positions.
Because the system rewards a first-place vote far more heavily than a tenth-place selection, a voter’s top choices can have a substantial effect on the final tally. At the same time, a player can accumulate a strong overall score by appearing consistently across many ballots, even without finishing first on a large number of them. That combination makes the award both a measure of broad support and a reflection of individual judgment.
It also explains why a single unusual ballot can attract so much attention. When a runner-up receives no points from a country, fans naturally ask whether that decision could have changed the result. In this case, Mbappé’s 28-point deficit to Kane means the Greek vote is an interesting part of the story, but it should not be treated as the sole reason for the final outcome. The result was built from the combined choices of the full jury.
What the Final Results Say About the Season
Kane claimed the Ballon d’Or, with Mbappé finishing second and Yamal third. Rodri of FC Barcelona placed fourth, while Lionel Messi, the eight-time winner now playing for Inter Miami, finished fifth. Messi’s position reflected the continued influence of his performances for Argentina during the previous summer’s World Cup, as well as his enduring standing in the game.
The final order brought together several different football narratives: Kane’s goal-scoring impact, Mbappé’s status among the world’s leading forwards, Yamal’s rapid rise and the continued recognition of established stars. The ballots from Greece and Ukraine added another layer, showing that voters do not always follow the same prediction or conventional ranking when assessing the leading contenders.
For fans looking at future Ballon d’Or races, the lesson is that reputation alone does not guarantee points. Voters may favor a player’s decisive contribution, defensive work, consistency or team achievements, and those priorities can produce surprising lists. The award’s final result remains a collective judgment—but the individual ballots are often where the most revealing debates begin.
