Messi and Yamal Lead Ballon d'Or Race Before World Cup Final Showdown

Argentine star Lionel Messi has become the top favorite to win the Ballon d'Or for the world's best player in 2026 for the ninth time in his career, just hours before playing the World Cup final tomorrow Sunday against Spain in New York.

Expectations indicate that winning the World Cup title will be the decisive and most important factor in determining the winner of the prestigious award at the annual ceremony scheduled for October 26 in the British capital London, which gives Lionel Messi a major advantage in the nomination stakes after leading Argentina to the final as the tournament's top scorer with 8 goals and 4 assists, delivering exceptional leadership performances that recalled the glories of the 2022 Qatar World Cup nearly four years ago.

This remarkable international brilliance comes after the 39-year-old Argentine star started a very strong season with Inter Miami, scoring 12 goals and providing 8 assists in 14 official matches before joining his national team camp.

Spain's Lamine Yamal stands out as the strongest rival to the Argentine star in this heated race, with his chances completely and directly dependent on his technical ability to lead Spain to win the world title tomorrow; the 19-year-old promising forward had an exceptional and brilliant season with Barcelona, scoring 24 goals and providing 17 assists, leading his Catalan team to win the Spanish League and Spanish Super Cup titles.

This fierce competition follows the young Spanish star's second-place finish in the previous edition of the Ballon d'Or, confirming his rapid football maturity and transformation into a key pillar in the Spanish Matador attack; despite not relying on massive scoring numbers during the current World Cup except for finding the net against Saudi Arabia, he remains the most dangerous and influential element against all opponents' defensive lines thanks to his high individual skills in penetration and creating chances from the flanks.

English striker Harry Kane entered the individual nomination race strongly after winning the prestigious European Golden Shoe, outperforming the continent's top strikers, scoring 61 goals in 51 official matches with Bayern Munich and securing the German league and domestic cup double, along with scoring 6 crucial goals in the current World Cup with England, but England's exit in the semi-finals against Argentina significantly reduced his chances of winning the award, given the historical balance that favors those reaching the final stage.

In the same context, Spanish midfielder Fabian Ruiz stands out, having achieved a historic quadruple with Paris Saint-Germain including the UEFA Champions League title, but his midfield position may overshadow the scoring and fan attention that typically favors strikers in the final meters of the race for the prestigious award, except for the rare historical precedents set by his compatriot Rodri Hernandez in previous years.

The official website of Spanish newspaper 'Marca' sees that other heavyweight names have moved away from the Ballon d'Or race, foremost among them the French duo Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise, despite them having a good season with Paris Saint-Germain, winners of the Champions League, and Bayern Munich, winners of the domestic double, following France's exit from the World Cup semi-finals. French striker Kylian Mbappe also faces great difficulty entering the first nomination circle due to his team Real Madrid having a season without major collective titles, which constitutes a major obstacle for him, despite sharing with Messi the top of the current World Cup scoring list with eight goals each.