Inter Miami star Lionel Messi secured a fifth-place finish in the 2026 Ballon d'Or rankings.

Bayern Munich forward Harry Kane claimed the top prize, ending England's 25-year wait for a Ballon d'Or winner.

Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe finished in second place in the voting, ahead of Barcelona's Lamine Yamal.

The 19-year-old's Spain and Barcelona teammate finished in fourth, while Messi rounded out the top five for his performances with Inter Miami and Argentina.

Where did Messi finish in the 2026 Ballon d'Or?

Messi fired Inter Miami to MLS Cup glory at the end of 2025 and then played a pivotal role in Argentina's run to the World Cup final.

The Argentine netted eight goals and provided four assists in his eight appearances at the tournament, where he won the Silver Ball and Silver Boot behind Rodri and Mbappe, respectively. 

Messi earned enough votes in the Ballon d'Or to finish ahead of Paris Saint-Germain duo Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Ousmane Dembele.

Manchester City's Erling Haaland, Bayern Munich's Michael Olise and PSG's Fabian Ruiz were also behind Messi in the top 10.

While Messi will give little thought to finishing fifth for an award he has won eight times, it is still an achievement to secure such a high placing at the age of 39 and as a player plying his trade outside of Europe.

There is a good chance Messi has made his final appearance on a Ballon d'Or shortlist, considering he is in the latter stages of his career and recently retired from international football.

Why did Messi miss Ballon d'Or ceremony?

Despite being nominated, Messi was not in attendance at Monday's Ballon d'Or ceremony in London. 

Messi probably recognised he was not going to win the award and, with Inter Miami in MLS action on Tuesday, it made little sense for him to make the trip over to England.

Instead, he attended the second edition of the Messi Cup in Miami, a competition that highlights the game's brightest young stars as 16 of the world's best Under-16 sides face off in a week-long tournament.