Ballon d'Or 2026 power rankings: Kane leads as Haaland rises and Messi re-enters race

GOAL's Ballon d'Or 2026 Power Rankings (updated Dec. 25, 2025) place Harry Kane atop the list as Erling Haaland and Lamine Yamal climb the standings, while Lionel Messi has re-emerged as a contender, according to the outlet.

In GOAL's top 10, Kane sits first after a season with 35 goals and three assists, Haaland is second with 38 goals and six assists, and Kylian Mbappé is third with 34 goals and eight assists. Lamine Yamal has moved up to fourth, credited with 10 goals and 14 assists.

Messi appears in the rankings as a new entry at ninth, with GOAL noting his 2025-26 totals of 22 goals and 19 assists and that he won the MLS Cup, earned a second-straight MLS MVP award and produced six goals and seven assists across Miami's six play-off matches.

GOAL highlights that the Champions League and the 2026 World Cup are likely to have a major impact on the Ballon d'Or race, and also notes the Africa Cup of Nations running from late December into January could lift other contenders. The piece recalls Ousmane Dembélé won in 2025 largely on the back of PSG's first European Cup.

With the European season about halfway through, GOAL says the Ballon d'Or is a marathon rather than a sprint and that the eventual winner could still emerge by the summer in North America, leaving the final outcome unclear for now.

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