OMM Newsroom
Russian journalist Konstantin Kleshchev ranked Harry Kane first in the 2025/26 Ballon d’Or vote. The 33-year-old England striker finished ahead of Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal in the final vote. Kleshchev’s personal top three also matched the final top three.
The journalist said he struggled to decide for two weeks after receiving the list of nominees from France Football, changing the order of his top five several times. He said the vote takes into account individual achievements and contributions to the team in important matches, tournament wins, career accomplishments, and conduct both on and off the pitch.
Kleshchev cited Kane’s numerous goals and assists, as well as his impact on his team in decisive matches. He placed Mbappe ahead of Yamal: although the Frenchman was the top scorer across all competitions, Real Madrid did not win a trophy; Yamal, meanwhile, became a world champion and won the Spanish league with Barcelona. In Kleshchev’s view, Yamal was not a key player for either his club or national team.
The journalist placed Lionel Messi fourth in his personal ranking, included Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in his top five and left Michael Olise outside the top 10. In the goalkeepers’ vote, he ranked Matvey Safonov third and Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya first. Unai Simon won the main award. Kleshchev said he believes Safonov could become the world’s best goalkeeper in the future.
