Amid secrecy over the winner's identity: how many people know the Ballon d'Or secret? | Goal.com
Who wins the 2026 Ballon d'Or? Speculation rages on ahead of the ceremony in London tomorrow, Monday evening, with Kylian Mbappé, Lamine Yamal and Harry Kane all in contention alongside Ousmane Dembélé, who is bidding to retain the award.
Only a very limited number of people know the winner's identity, according to French network "RMC". Organisers scrapped the practice of informing players of the results in advance back in 2024, keeping the winner's name secret until the official announcement.
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BAR
LaLiga
25 Oct 2026
RMA
FCB
Bundesliga
31 Oct 2026
BVB
Mbappé's recent comments about his ambition to win the Ballon d'Or raised questions over whether his media campaign could sway the voters. Pascal Ferré, the former head of the award, played down any such impact. The decision rests with the journalists who vote, he argued, and not with the fans.
Right now, only around five people know the big news, according to Ferré, who added: "How do we keep the winner's identity hidden? I think a well-kept secret is one that is shared with as few people as possible. Then there are little tricks and simple methods."
He continued: "My method was to let fake rankings circulate within the France Football editorial team, to feed social media, and that made me laugh. At the moment, there should not be more than 5 people aware of the winner's name."
Jérôme Rothen, an analyst at "RMC", takes a different view. Mbappé doesn't deserve the award, he reckons, pointing to the lack of collective titles as a black mark despite the Real Madrid man's goal tally.
Harry Kane, meanwhile, caught the eye with 73 goals last season, 61 of them for Bayern Munich. Lamine Yamal shone too, starring for Barcelona, netting 16 goals in La Liga during the 2025-2026 campaign and playing his part in Spain's World Cup triumph, according to the report.
Fake leaks claiming to reveal the candidate rankings have flooded the platform "X" in recent days. They include fabricated images of conversations, messages and lists placing Mbappé or Kane at the top.
A well-informed source dismissed these leaks as impossible, filing them under the usual speculation that precedes the announcement of the winner.
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