Did Rodri deprive Lamine Yamal of the Ballon d'Or?.. A heated analysis of Ballon d'Or race secrets

France Football editor in chief Vincent Garcia has revealed that Rodri took votes away from Lamine Yamal in the Ballon d'Or 2026 race raising questions about whether the Barcelona teenager could have challenged Harry Kane for the award.

The revelation followed Monday's ceremony in London where Kane secured his first Ballon d'Or ahead of Kylian Mbappé while Yamal finished third and Rodri fourth.

Despite Spain's triumph at the FIFA World Cup 2026, neither of its two leading candidates managed to win football's most prestigious individual prize.

Read Also: Exciting behind the scenes: France Football Editor in Chief reveals a resounding surprise regarding Harry Kane's win

France Football chief reveals how Rodri affected Yamal's chances

Speaking to French television channel L'Équipe, Garcia explained that Spain's collective success created an unexpected complication for its leading candidates.

The France Football chief acknowledged that votes had been divided between Rodri and Yamal.

"Rodri took votes away from Lamine in this vote" Garcia explained.

He suggested that Spain's World Cup victory had been built around exceptional collective performances rather than one player clearly dominating the tournament.

That situation made it more difficult for voting journalists to identify a single Spanish candidate deserving of the highest individual recognition.

Rodri, the Ballon d'Or 2024 winner, remained a powerful contender following his contribution to Spain's World Cup success while Yamal's performances for Barcelona and the national team also strengthened his claim.

The result was two Spanish players finishing immediately behind Kane and Mbappé in the final 2026 Ballon d'Or rankings.

Why did Spain's World Cup victory not produce a Ballon d'Or winner?

International success is one of the important factors considered by Ballon d'Or voters but winning the World Cup does not automatically guarantee the individual award.

Under France Football's official voting regulations, journalists assess three principal criteria in descending order of importance:

• Individual performances and decisive contributions
• Collective achievements and trophies
• Class and fair play

The men's award is determined by an international jury of 100 journalists, each selecting ten players from a 30 man shortlist.

Points are distributed according to position, with 15 awarded for first place, 12 for second and 10 for third, followed by eight, seven, five, four, three, two and one.

Importantly, a journalist can include both Rodri and Yamal on the same ballot.

Therefore, the division identified by Garcia does not mean journalists were forced to choose between the two Spaniards. Rather, their respective positions on individual ballots may have reduced the number of maximum point selections either player received.

Spain's collective success consequently presented a different voting dynamic from Kane's extraordinary individual campaign.

Harry Kane and Mbappé benefited from an exceptionally close race

Garcia also revealed that the battle between Kane and Mbappé was much closer than the final ranking suggested.

According to the France Football editor, Mbappé led during much of the voting period before Kane eventually overtook him.

The final margin was smaller than the 41 point difference separating Rodri and Vinícius Júnior in the controversial 2024 edition.

Kane's victory followed a remarkable campaign in which he scored 73 goals for Bayern Munich and England across all competitions.

His consistency and goalscoring achievements helped him secure the award despite England finishing third at the World Cup.

As previously reported by Foot Africa, Kane became the first English player to win the Ballon d'Or since 2001.

Meanwhile, Yamal claimed the Kopa Trophy for the third consecutive year, becoming the first footballer to achieve that distinction.

His historic third Kopa Trophy victory provided some consolation after missing out on the senior award.

Did Rodri really prevent Lamine Yamal from winning?

Garcia's comments support the argument that competition between Spain's leading players affected the distribution of votes.

However, they do not establish that Yamal would have won the Ballon d'Or if Rodri had not been among the nominees.

The distinction is important.

While the final rankings placed Yamal third and Rodri fourth, the precise point totals and individual voting preferences have not yet been publicly disclosed.

Without those figures, it remains impossible to determine whether additional support for Yamal would have been sufficient to overcome both Mbappé and Kane.

France Football is expected to publish the complete voting breakdown on Saturday, October 31, providing a clearer picture of the margins separating the leading candidates.

Until then, Garcia's revelation offers a compelling explanation for Spain's failure to turn its World Cup triumph into an individual Ballon d'Or victory.

Rodri may have weakened Yamal's chances, but whether that division actually cost the teenager the trophy remains unproven.

Khaled Hegazy |

Editorar, en

Journaliste sportif spécialisé dans la couverture du football et la création de contenu numérique, alliant expérience éditoriale et expertise des médias sociaux.

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