"A Spanish player should win this year's Ballon d'Or," Marca quoted coach De La Fuente as saying. "I always support homegrown talent and Spanish-made brands. We have world-class standards in training, quality, and performance."

France Football magazine recently announced its 30-candidate shortlist for the Ballon d'Or. Six Spanish national team players are included: Rodri, Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi, Marc Cucurella, Ferran Torres, and Fabian Ruiz. They will face competition from Harry Kane (England), Kylian Mbappe (France), Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Georgia), and Lionel Messi (Argentina).

Midfielder Rodri (16) lifts the gold trophy after Spain defeated Argentina one-nil in the 2026 World Cup final at MetLife Stadium, New Jersey, United States on 19/7/2026. *Photo: AP*

No one truly stands out among the candidates. Rodri won the World Cup and the Best Player award, but lacked playing time and major titles with Man City. Yamal won the World Cup with Rodri and defended La Liga with Barca, but did not perform particularly well at the World Cup. In contrast, Mbappe and Messi delivered convincing individual performances, scoring 10 and 8 goals respectively at the World Cup, but did not win the title as expected.

According to one European bookmaker, Kane is the number one candidate with odds of 4/7. The English striker impressed by helping Bayern win a domestic double, becoming the Bundesliga top scorer, winning the European Golden Boot, scoring 6 goals at the World Cup, and helping the England national team finish third. However, without World Cup and Champions League titles, many fans remain concerned about Kane's chances.

Yamal is the number two candidate with odds of 4/1. Subsequent positions include Mbappe 6/1, Rodri 8/1, Kvaratskhelia 12/1, and Messi 25/1. Ousmane Dembele, the 2025 Ballon d'Or winner, has the same odds of 33/1 as Jude Bellingham, Fabian Ruiz, and Pau Cubarsi.

Rodri previously won the 2024 Ballon d'Or. He was highly regarded for helping Spain win the Euro and Man City secure their fourth consecutive Premier League title. This time, Rodri is not as favored by coach De La Fuente as Yamal. "Yamal can win the Ballon d'Or because he is Spanish and an excellent player. If not this year, then in the future. I do not think it will take him too long to win this award," said the Spanish national team coach.

Yamal also received support from Hansi Flick, his coach at Barca. The German tactician believes the 19-year-old striker is a special player, possessing qualities others do not, and is deserving of the Ballon d'Or.

Barca sports director, Deco, also believes Yamal is a top candidate. He reiterated the young star played a decisive role in Barca's journey to defend La Liga and win the World Cup right after recovering from injury. "There is no debate about Yamal, just as when Leo Messi won and was the best player," Deco said.

France Football outlined three priority criteria for voting for the Ballon d'Or: * First is individual performance, including excellence, statistics, decisiveness, and ability to make a difference. * Second is collective titles, including championships with the national team and club. * The final criterion is sportsmanship.

Journalists from 100 countries leading the FIFA rankings will vote for the Ballon d'Or. Each journalist will choose 10 players from the 30 candidates, then assign points in order: 15, 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, and one point. The winning player is the one with the highest total points. The Ballon d'Or ceremony is scheduled for 26/10 in London, England.

Thanh Quy (according to Marca, MD)