2026 Ballon d'Or: France Football chief reveals how close Kylian was to the award

French star Kylian Mbappé enjoyed an excellent season, establishing himself as one of the top contenders for the 2026 Ballon d'Or; he scored 42 goals for Real Madrid, in addition to ten goals for the French national team during the last World Cup.

• read more: Mbappé apologises to the Chinese people after controversy over Mao Zedong

Although Harry Kane won the award this year and Mbappé finished second, the French star came very close to winning it, engaging in a tight race for the top spot—a contest that remained highly competitive for a long time, as revealed by France Football editor-in-chief Vincent Garcia.

Mbappé was leading the voting for the Ballon d'Or

Speaking to L'Equipe following Monday's ceremony, Garcia confirmed that the race between Kane and Mbappe was extraordinarily tight.

He explained: "The difference was even smaller than between Rodri and Vinicius in 2024, which was 41 points, and that was already a very narrow margin."

Garcia also detailed how Harry Kane surged past him at the final moment.

"Mbappe was leading for a long time, but Kane ended up winning. Mbappe has had an extraordinary season. It was incredibly close between Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe in the battle for first place this year," he said.

Garcia further suggested that Spain's World Cup triumph may have worked against individual candidates, as Rodri and Lamine Yamal ended up splitting votes.

The Barcelona youngster ultimately finished third, with his teammate taking fourth place. For much of the race, it had appeared that Lamine was firmly in contention for the award.

Yet based on Garcia's remarks, the contest ultimately boiled down to a two-horse race between Kane and Mbappe, with the former coming out on top.

Hazem Mlhem |

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Hazem Mlhem est un rédacteur sportif expérimenté, animé par une passion pour le football africain.

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