The nominees for the 2026 Ballon d'Or have been unveiled, with Lionel Messi featuring on the list despite his move to Inter Miami, alongside three Arsenal players who helped fire the club to a Champions League final appearance last season.
Arsenal's run to the final ended in heartbreak, with Mikel Arteta's team losing on penalties to Paris Saint-Germain. Despite that disappointment, three Gunners players have earned recognition on this year's 30-man shortlist: Declan Rice, William Saliba, and Gabriel.
Notably absent from the list is goalkeeper David Raya, who many consider the unluckiest Arsenal player to be left off. Raya has instead been nominated for the Yashin Trophy, the award given annually to the best goalkeeper in the men's game. This marks his second consecutive appearance on that shortlist after finishing sixth in last year's voting, when Gianluigi Donnarumma took home the prize.
Looking back at last year's Ballon d'Or ceremony, Rice was the sole Arsenal representative on the shortlist, finishing in 27th place. Viktor Gyokeres also appeared in that voting, placing 15th, though his inclusion reflected his form at Sporting CP rather than his time in north London.
This year, the frontrunner for the prestigious award is widely regarded to be Harry Kane. The Bayern Munich striker enjoyed a remarkable campaign, scoring 61 goals across 51 appearances for the German champions, and followed that up by netting six goals at the World Cup. Should Kane claim the trophy, he would become just the fifth English player in history to do so, joining a list that includes Michael Owen, who was the most recent Englishman to win it back in 2001.
The men's shortlist is packed with talent from across Europe's top leagues, with Paris Saint-Germain particularly well represented following their Champions League triumph. The Parisian club has no fewer than nine players nominated, including Ousmane Dembele, Achraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, Joao Neves, Willian Pacho, Fabian Ruiz, and Vitinha.
Other major contenders include Real Madrid's trio of Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe, and Vinicius Junior, as well as Barcelona stars Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi. Manchester City's Erling Haaland also features prominently, alongside Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes and Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez.
Arsenal's presence extends beyond the men's award, with both Alessia Russo and Mariona Caldentey earning nominations for the Women's Ballon d'Or, reflecting the club's strong campaign across both the men's and women's game.
This year's ceremony carries added significance as it marks the 70th anniversary of the Ballon d'Or. For the first time in the award's history, the ceremony will be held in London rather than its traditional Paris setting, when winners are announced on October 26.
With such a competitive field of nominees spanning Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, and beyond, the race for football's most coveted individual honor promises to be closely contested. Kane's extraordinary goal-scoring exploits at both club and international level make him the man to beat, but with the likes of Messi returning to the conversation and PSG's dominant European campaign generating multiple contenders, the final outcome remains far from certain ahead of the October ceremony.
Based on reporting from Standard Football.