Through the eyes of former stars.. Messi in the lead and resounding surprises in The Athletic's Ballon d'Or list

Eight time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi has topped an informal Ballon d'Or preference ranking published by The Athletic, following a vote conducted among former Premier League and La Liga players.

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Ex-Players back Messi ahead of European stars

The poll, conducted among former stars from the English Premier League and Spanish La Liga, produced a surprising ranking of global football talent.

Despite playing outside Europe's top leagues, Lionel Messi claimed the top spot in the survey. The Argentine legend finished ahead of England captain Harry Kane in second place and Georgian winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in third.

The top 10 ranked players

The survey compiled by The Athletic produced the following top 10 standings based on ex player selections:

1. Lionel Messi
2. Harry Kane
3. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
4. Lamine Yamal
5. Kylian Mbappé
6. Pau Cubarsí
7. Rodri
8. Jude Bellingham
9. Ousmane Dembélé
10. Nuno Mendes

Informal survey vs official Ballon d'Or race

While the ranking offers an intriguing perspective from former professionals, the publication noted that the poll is purely an informal exercise and does not represent the official voting mechanism for the award.

In the official race for the prestigious honor, Spanish prodigy Lamine Yamal and French forward Kylian Mbappé remain the primary frontrunners to contend for the trophy this year.

Khaled Hegazy |

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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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