Piqué rules out a Mbappé win but still places the Real Madrid star among the world’s best

Gerard Piqué has published his assessment of the 30 nominees for the 2026 Ballon d’Or. The former Barcelona defender identified Lamine Yamal, Harry Kane and Rodri as his three leading candidates, leaving Kylian Mbappé outside that select group.

Piqué did not dismiss the Real Madrid forward’s season or question his quality. He predicted that Mbappé would finish inside the top five but said he did not expect the Frenchman to win the award. That distinction matters, even if the shorter “Mbappé will not win” version is considerably more useful for headlines around Barcelona.

PIQUÉ NAMES HIS THREE FAVORITES

Lamine Yamal was described as a decisive player and an obvious contender. Piqué highlighted the Barcelona winger’s role in Spain’s World Cup triumph and recalled that he had already gone close to winning the Ballon d’Or previously.

Harry Kane was another of his main choices. Piqué pointed to the striker’s goals, his success with Bayern Munich and England’s run to the World Cup semifinals as arguments strong enough to support a victory.

Rodri completed the leading trio. Although the midfielder missed a significant part of the season through injury, Piqué considered his influence decisive during Spain’s successful World Cup campaign.

MBAPPÉ REMAINS IN THE TOP FIVE

Piqué praised Mbappé’s World Cup but stopped short of naming him as a potential winner. Instead, he placed the Real Madrid forward among the five best candidates.

The lack of a team trophy appears to be the principal weakness in Mbappé’s case. Real Madrid ended the season without silverware, while France were eliminated by Spain in the World Cup semifinals. Yet his individual record remains difficult to overlook.

Mbappé scored 15 goals in the Champions League and another 25 in La Liga. He also increased his career World Cup total to 22, becoming the tournament’s all-time leading scorer. The Frenchman has publicly argued that those achievements make him a deserving candidate because the Ballon d’Or is an individual award.

Piqué therefore reached a balanced conclusion: not his winner, but unquestionably one of the finest players in the race.

BARCELONA GET THEIR PREFERRED CANDIDATE

Piqué’s preference for Lamine is hardly surprising given his long association with Barcelona. He also mocked the absence of Pedri and Raphinha from the 30-player shortlist, joking that perhaps they had been mistaken for golfers.

It was a line perfectly suited to the Barcelona mood surrounding the award. If too few Barça players are nominated, the shortlist must be flawed. If a Real Madrid forward produces extraordinary numbers, the conversation can immediately move to team trophies. The criteria remain flexible, while the campaign never takes a day off.

Still, Piqué did not ignore Real Madrid’s other nominees. He described Jude Bellingham’s inclusion as fully deserved and placed the midfielder inside his top 10. Vinícius Júnior also made that group because of his importance to both Real Madrid and Brazil.

AN OPINION, NOT THE RESULT

Piqué’s ranking is a personal assessment rather than a preview of the official vote. His selections clearly favor players who combined individual excellence with major collective success, giving Lamine, Kane and Rodri an advantage over Mbappé.

Even so, the Frenchman remains in Piqué’s top five. The former Barcelona defender may not be ready to hand Mbappé the trophy, but the Real Madrid star’s numbers are too substantial to push him out of the elite conversation.