Halis Sunnetci
26 October 2026•Update: 26 October 2026
By Halis Sunnetci
ISTANBUL (AA) - The official Ballon d'Or website published articles naming three different players as winners of the 2026 men's award Monday, just hours before the ceremony in London.
Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane, Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe and Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal were each declared winners in separate articles that were subsequently removed from the organizers' website.
The articles appeared approximately two and a half hours before the ceremony was scheduled to begin at the London Palladium, fueling speculation about the identity of the winner.
One article, headlined "Harry Kane wins 2026 Ballon d'Or," highlighted the England captain's goalscoring achievements during the 2025-26 season.
Another declared that Yamal, 19, had become the youngest winner in the award's 70-year history, while a third praised Mbappe's consistency at the highest level.
The conflicting announcements raised questions about whether the organizers had inadvertently published multiple versions prepared in advance.
None of the articles established who had actually won the award, which is scheduled to be presented at Monday evening's ceremony.
