Who deserves the 2026 Ballon d’Or? .. Cucurella gives his answer

Spanish star Marc Cucurella did not want to name a favourite for the 2026 Ballon d’Or. The Spanish defender nevertheless gave his view on Kylian Mbappé’s chances, as well as those of his compatriots in the race for the trophy.

For the first time in his career, the Spanish player is among the 30 nominees for the Ballon d’Or, a recognition he already considers a significant achievement.

In comments reported by Spanish newspaper “ Mundo Deportivo " , Cucurella said:

“ It is enough for me to be among the 30 best players. It is the first time I have been nominated and, at the very least, I want to attend the ceremony. ”

The Ballon d’Or ceremony will take place on 26 October in London. Several major figures in football are among the candidates, including Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal and Ousmane Dembélé.

Cucurella does not want to predict the winner

Asked for his opinion on the identity of the future winner, Cucurella did not want to make a prediction. The Spain international instead highlighted how fortunate he had been to play alongside several players involved in the race.

“ I am not going to predict anything. I am someone who has been lucky enough to play alongside two or three players nominated for the Ballon d’Or, and that is something I will be proud of all my life,” he said.

Cucurella also felt that a Spanish victory would be fully deserved in view of the performances produced by the national team.

“ If a Spanish player wins it, it will be totally deserved considering what we achieved at the World Cup. And if it is Mbappé, I will also be happy for a teammate who is the top scorer in World Cup history and who has won the Golden Boot,” he added.

Cucurella highlights Mbappé’s performance

The Spanish defender finally stressed how difficult it is to produce the performances Mbappé has delivered, particularly in an attacking capacity.

“ What Mbappé has achieved is not easy and I will be happy if he wins. Scoring goals and doing what Mbappé does may seem easy for him, but it is not. Producing such performances is extremely difficult ", Cucurella concluded.

Roberto Carlos chooses Mbappé for the 2026 Ballon d’Or

Mohamed Rek |

Editorfr, ar, en

Mohamed Rek- sports content writer with over 10 years of experience creating football content in Arabic and French for platforms such as Foot Africa and Starafrica, combining accuracy, creativity, and audience engagement.

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