The 2026 Ballon d’Or vote continues to spark plenty of discussion even after Harry Kane’s historic triumph. While the Bayern striker was awarded the Golden Ball for the first time, opinions differ, particularly regarding the rankings of several other stars. Now, former Bayern pro Medhi Benatia has weighed in. The Moroccan, in particular, cannot understand why Lionel Messi finished ahead of Michael Olise.

In this year’s voting, Messi finished in fifth place. The Argentine World Cup champion, who now plays for Inter Miami in the MLS, thus finished four spots ahead of Bayern star Olise, who had to settle for ninth place.

For Benatia, this ranking is hard to fathom. The former Munich center back therefore questioned the Ballon d’Or jury’s evaluation criteria.

“He spends the whole year in Miami.”

On the “Les Affranchis Talk” podcast, Benatia spoke out clearly about the Argentine superstar’s ranking. “He spends the whole year in Miami and then finishes fifth in the voting? Did European soccer fans pay more attention to Messi than to Olise?” asked the 39-year-old.

That said, Benatia in no way disputed that Messi had put in strong performances at the 2026 World Cup. “It’s true that he was outstanding at the World Cup, and the whole team plays for him,” the former Bayern defender acknowledged.

Nevertheless, he couldn’t come to terms with the result of the vote. “With all due respect, but how can anyone tell me that Messi is in fifth place?” Benatia criticized.

His comments underscore that the differing weighting of club performances and international tournaments in this year’s Ballon d’Or voting continues to spark debate.

Olise ranks only ninth despite a strong season with Bayern

Michael Olise’s ranking, in particular, is likely to have come as a surprise to many Bayern fans. The French international was one of the German record champions’ key performers last season. With his creativity, goals, and assists, the attacking player played a key role in Munich’s successes. He was also one of France’s best players at the World Cup and played a pivotal role in the team’s run to the semifinals.

Nevertheless, he only managed to finish in ninth place in the voting for the world’s best soccer player.

Messi apparently also benefited from his performances at the World Cup in the voting. However, it’s not possible to clearly deduce from the overall results which criteria were ultimately decisive for the individual voters.

Toni Kroos recently highlighted that, in the view of some experts, Olise should have fared significantly better. The former German national team player explained on the podcast “Einfach mal Luppen” that he personally would have voted for the Bayern star to take third place—behind Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Harry Kane.

Benatia is now another former Bayern pro to speak out, taking a critical view of Olise’s ranking.

This article was translated into English by AI. You can read the original version here https://fcbinside.de/2026/10/28/wie-kann-das-sein-ex-bayern-star-wuetet-ueber-messi-platzierung-vor-olise/.