Ballon d'Or day is finally upon us, and in just a few hours time, fans across the globe will know just who the best footballer in the world is - at least according to the esteemed France Football panel.

To celebrate the 70th anniversary of Sir Stanley Matthews winning the inaugural accolade, the 2026 Ballon d'Or has been moved from its usual home of Paris to the English capital of London, and one of the Three Lions' own could fittingly waltz up to the stage to perform his winner's speech.

Indeed, Bayern Munich marksman Harry Kane is the bookies' favourite to be crowned England's first Ballon dOr winner since a fledgling Michael Owen in 2001, but if some of us had our way, he would miss out on this individual honour.

Here, the Sports Mole team selects who they think should be crowned the winner of the 2026 Ballon d'Or.

Ben Knapton, Site Coordinator - Harry Kane

Not since Lionel Messi's 2019 triumph has the Ballon d'Or been awarded to a player who failed to win any of the World Cup, Euros, Copa America or Champions League, but I am fully expecting that streak to be snapped this time around.

While not quite matching Lionel Messi's astronomical 91 goals from the 2012 calendar year, Harry Kane racked up an outrageous 73 for club and country in the 2025-26 campaign, 61 of which came in Bayern colours.

Taking home a second European Golden Shoe and becoming the first English player in 98 years to hit a 60+ goal season - emulating the iconic Dixie Dean - Kane reaffirmed his status as the best goalscorer on the planet, even if his World Cup numbers did not suggest to.

Bayern's UCL failure, England's World Cup disappointment and Kane only finishing joint-fourth in the Mundial scoring charts will all work against him, but so will Lamine Yamal's underwhelming individual World Cup campaign and Kylian Mbappe's Champions League and La Liga-less season.

The World Cup has not come home for England in the 21st century, but the Ballon d'Or surely will for the leader of the Three Lions.

Oliver Thomas, Senior Reporter - Harry Kane

After more than a decade watching Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo dominate the football award landscape, the race for the Ballon d’Or has opened up in recent years and there is no undisputed frontrunner for the coveted 2026 prize.

However, Harry Kane stands out ahead of players including Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe as someone who deserves recognition for his remarkable influence as Bayern Munich and England’s talisman.

While winning a World Cup or Champions League carries a lot of weight in the Ballon d’Or votes, I think the influence a player can have on a team should also be recognised for this prestigious accolade, and with someone like Kane, you just wonder whether Bayern and England would have been so successful without him and his goals? Probably not.

At 33 years of age, Kane is at the peak of his powers, scoring a whopping 54 goals for club and country this calendar year, helping Bayern win back-to-back Bundesliga titles and inspiring England to the World Cup semi-finals.

His leadership, match-winning reliability, footballing intelligence and ridiculously clinical goalscoring record at the highest level makes him a deserving winner – potentially the first Englishman since Michael Owen in 2001 to claim the golden trophy.

Joel Lefevre, Reporter - Michael Olise

As impressive as Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal all were for club and country, I think Michael Olise should win the Ballon d’Or. He stepped up in nearly every game, big or small, for Bayern Munich and France and was rarely, if ever, shut down. Not only did he have a record-setting World Cup campaign for assists, but he was the catalyst for his team’s success, just as he was in Bayern’s marvellous campaigns in Europe and domestically. 

I feel the number of goals you score often matters more than creativity in voting, but the difficulty of many of Olise’s passes to Kane and Mbappe was often extraordinary and should be taken into consideration. You can reasonably argue that neither of those players would have been as potent in front of goal without Olise’s hard work in providing them with the perfect service and placing the ball in the ideal position for them to score. Without Olise, I don’t see either of them being quite as strong. 

I don’t know if he’ll get the votes because he doesn’t score as much, but I don’t think anyone in the world is as good on the ball, as precise in tight spaces, or as tough to dispossess as Olise. If you evaluate what he did for his two teams and how successful his team’s were, than it should be Olise winning this award. I don’t think either Bayern or France would have achieved as much without Olise on the pitch. If we're evaluating a player’s overall game, their impact on the team, and the trophies they've won, Olise ticks all those boxes and deserves the Ballon d’Or. 

Seye Omidiora, Reporter - Harry Kane

You could make a case for and against each of the perceived top three contenders, making this year’s award rather interesting.

Lamine Yamal had a top season but did not pull up trees at the World Cup, and Barcelona could not go all the way in the Champions League, while Kylian Mbappe had an outstanding individual season, culminating in becoming the top goalscorer in World Cup history, but won no major title with club or country.

Harry Kane had a storming season with Bayern and did okay to a point at the World Cup, but the Bundesliga is often looked down upon, potentially hurting his prospects.

Nonetheless, yours truly has always had a soft spot for the Bayern forward and would want him to claim the award. Heart vs. head. Heart wins.

Brendan McGilligan, Reporter - Lamine Yamal

Despite having a less-than-exemplary World Cup, he did still contribute to Spain's victory despite rushing back from injury, and he was central to Barcelona's La Liga success. He is arguably the most naturally gifted footballer in the world at the minute and so it makes him the best currently playing.

Marvellous Adepoju, Reporter - Harry Kane

The Bayern Munich marksman netted 73 goals in 65 appearances across all competitions for club and country last season while also winning a league and cup double.

He also captained England to a third-place finish at the World Cup with six goals in seven matches.

The 2026 Ballon d'Or feels like one of the most open races ever but I think Kane is the most deserving winner.

Anthony Nolan, Reporter - Harry Kane

The Ballon d’Or has historically been awarded to players that have won one of the game’s biggest trophies in the selection period, but Harry Kane deserves to claim the prize without either the Champions League or World Cup to his name.

Lamine Yamal made headlines as he lifted the World Cup with Spain, though the reality is that the 19-year-old was largely ineffective in the summer, scoring just once during the 4-0 group victory over Saudi Arabia and failing to provide a single assist after heading into the tournament with an injury.

By contrast, Kane bagged six goals and created another for his teammates, despite falling short of the crown.

Yamal has a case for having made the best start to the 2026-27 campaign, but for the selection period, it is difficult to overlook Kane’s staggering 73 goals and eight assists in 65 matches - even if football is about more than just raw output.

For comparison, the Englishman found the back of the net 61 times for Bayern Munich last term, far beyond the 42 that Kylian Mbappe mustered for Real Madrid and 38 Erling Haaland converted for Manchester City, while eclipsing Yamal’s 24 strikes for Barcelona.