The Ballon d'Or main prize remains a contentious topic even weeks after Harry Kane was named the winner.

Real Madrid defender Marc Cucurella has admitted he was surprised by Harry Kane winning the 2026 Ballon d'Or, insisting the prestigious honour should have gone to either Kylian Mbappé or Lamine Yamal.

The Spain international offered his assessment during a recent media appearance while on international duty, acknowledging the Bayern Munich striker's statistical dominance while arguing that pure entertainment value should carry more weight in the voting process.

Cucurella refused to discredit Kane's achievement entirely, but admitted his personal preference leaned towards the two forwards who finished immediately behind the Englishman.

"I wouldn't say it was unfair, because if you look at his numbers, they're the kind of numbers Harry Kane might never replicate again," Cucurella stated. "In that sense, he's had an outstanding season. That said, personally, I would have given it to Mbappé or Lamine."

He explained his reasoning by citing the aesthetic appeal of both players, framing his opinion around the viewing experience. "They are players I'd turn on the TV to watch as a football fan, you know what I mean? So it's not that Kane didn't deserve it, but I have to say I was a bit surprised," he concluded.

Kane officially secured his first Ballon d'Or at the London Palladium on October 26, edging out Mbappé in one of the tightest voting races in the history of the award.

The Bayern Munich talisman amassed 1,055 points from the 100-journalist voting panel, narrowly defeating Mbappé by a slim 28-point margin after the Real Madrid forward secured 1,027 points. Yamal finished significantly further behind in third place, collecting 881 points following his World Cup-winning campaign with Spain.

According to France Football editor-in-chief Vincent Garcia, Mbappé led the race for a long time before Kane secured a late surge of votes to claim the trophy, becoming the first Englishman to win the award since Michael Owen in 2001.

Harry Kane sealed a terrible week for Lamine Yamal and Barcelona.

While Cucurella presented his argument from the perspective of a neutral football fan, his assessment cannot be viewed as entirely objective due to his close professional relationships with both runners-up.

The 28-year-old shares the Valdebebas training ground with Mbappé following his transfer to Real Madrid from Chelsea in the summer of 2026. Furthermore, he regularly lines up alongside Yamal for the Spain national team, most recently playing the full 90 minutes in a 2-0 UEFA Nations League victory over the Czech Republic on November 12.

Despite Cucurella's preference, Kane ultimately prevailed, having previously defeated Mbappé's France in the World Cup third-place play-off and eliminated Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals to cement his status as the world's best player.