No Raphinha, no Flick, no Bonmati! Ballon d'Or nominations spring shocks
The nominees for the 2026 Ballon d'Or are in, and the announcement has already thrown up some surprises.
France Football, in collaboration with UEFA, unveiled the official candidates on Tuesday, setting the stage for the race towards football's most prestigious individual prize ahead of next month's ceremony in London.
But while some of the game's biggest stars remain in the hunt, several equally prominent names were conspicuous by their absence.
Brazilian winger Raphinha was among the biggest omissions from the men's Ballon d'Or shortlist despite a standout campaign for Barcelona, while his Spanish teammates Pedri and Dani Olmo also failed to make the cut.
The biggest bombshell in the women's category, however, was the exclusion of Spain's Aitana Bonmatí -- winner of the Ballon d'Or in each of the last three editions.
Barcelona's Hansi Flick was another notable absentee, with the Blaugrana boss missing out on a place among the nominees for best coach.
With some huge names already out of the running, the battle is now on across every category as voting begins to determine the world's best.
The winners will be crowned at the Ballon d'Or ceremony in London on Monday, October 26.
2026 Ballon d'Or men's nominations:
Jude Bellingham
England, Real Madrid.
52 matches, 15 goals, 6 assists, 8 yellow cards, 0 red card.
Trophy: none.
Pau Cubarsí
Spain, FC Barcelona.
62 matches, 1 goal, 2 assists, 5 yellow cards, 1 red card.
Trophies: World Cup, Liga, Spanish Super Cup.
Marc Cucurella
Spain, Chelsea/Real Madrid.
65 matches, 2 goals, 7 assists, 13 yellow cards, 1 red card.
Trophy: World Cup
Ousmane Dembélé
France, Paris-SG.
51 matches, 26 goals, 14 assists, 1 yellow card, 0 red card.
Trophies: Champions League, Intercontinental Cup, European Super Cup, Ligue 1, French Super Cup.
Luis Díaz
Colombia, Bayern Munich.
66 matches, 30 goals, 23 assists, 10 yellow cards, 2 red cards.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Trophies: Bundesliga, German Cup, German Super Cup.
Bruno Fernandes
Portugal, Manchester United.
51 matches, 13 goals, 25 assists, 7 yellow cards, 0 red card.
Trophy: none.
Gabriel
Brazil, Arsenal.
59 matches, 4 goals, 6 assists, 6 yellow cards, 0 red card.
Trophy: Premier League.
Erling Haaland
Norway, Manchester City.
64 matches, 58 goals, 11 assists, 3 yellow cards, 0 red card.
Trophies: FA Cup, EFL Cup.
Achraf Hakimi
Morocco, Paris-SG.
49 matches, 4 goals, 17 assists, 6 yellow cards, 1 red card.
Trophies: AFCON (subject to the CAS ruling), Champions League, European Super Cup, Ligue 1.
Harry Kane
England, Bayern Munich.
65 matches, 73 goals, 8 assists, 3 yellow cards, 0 red card.
Trophies: Bundesliga, German Cup, German Super Cup.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
Georgia, Paris-SG.
57 matches, 24 goals, 10 assists, 4 yellow cards, 0 red card.
Trophies: Champions League, Intercontinental Cup, European Super Cup, Ligue 1, French Super Cup.
Lamine Yamal
Spain, FC Barcelona.
57 matches, 25 goals, 20 assists, 6 yellow cards, 0 red card.
Trophies: World Cup, Liga, Spanish Super Cup.
Sadio Mané
Senegal, Al-Nassr.
55 matches, 24 goals, 13 assists, 8 yellow cards, 1 red card.
Trophy: Saudi Pro League.
Marquinhos
Brazil, Paris-SG.
43 matches, 2 goals, 0 assist, 3 yellow cards, 0 red card.
Trophies: Champions League, Intercontinental Cup, European Super Cup, Ligue 1, French Super Cup.
Lautaro Martínez
Argentina, Inter Milan.
55 matches, 30 goals, 10 assists, 9 yellow cards, 0 red card.
Trophies: Serie A, Italian Cup.
Kylian Mbappé
France, Real Madrid.
60 matches, 58 goals, 13 assists, 8 yellow cards, 0 red card.
Trophy: none.
Nuno Mendes
Portugal, Paris-SG.
53 matches, 7 goals, 8 assists, 5 yellow cards, 0 red card.
Trophies: Champions League, Intercontinental Cup, European Super Cup, Ligue 1, French Super Cup.
Lionel Messi
Argentina, Inter Miami.
49 matches, 45 goals, 30 assists, 4 yellow cards, 0 red card.
Trophy: MLS.
João Neves
Portugal, Paris-SG
49 matches, 11 goals, 4 assists, 2 yellow cards, 0 red card.
Trophies: Champions League, Intercontinental Cup, Ligue 1, French Super Cup.
Michael Olise
France, Bayern Munich.
69 matches, 27 goals, 35 assists, 13 yellow cards, 0 red card.
Trophies: Bundesliga, German Cup, German Super Cup.
Willian Pacho
Ecuador, Paris-SG.
56 matches, 2 goals, 1 assist, 3 yellow cards, 0 red card.
Trophies: Champions League, Intercontinental Cup, European Super Cup, Ligue 1, French Super Cup.
Julián Quiñones
Mexico, Al-Qadsiah.
46 matches, 41 goals, 5 assists, 5 yellow cards, 0 red card.
Trophy: none.
Declan Rice
England, Arsenal.
69 matches, 8 goals, 14 assists, 9 yellow cards, 0 red card.
Trophy: Premier League.
Rodri
Spain, Manchester City/FC Barcelona.
46 matches, 2 goals, 0 assist, 6 yellow cards, 1 red card.
Trophies: World Cup, FA Cup, EFL Cup.
Fabián Ruiz
Spain, Paris-SG.
45 matches, 3 goals, 6 assists, 4 yellow cards, 0 red card.
Trophies: World Cup, Champions League, Intercontinental Cup, European Super Cup, Ligue 1, French Super Cup.
William Saliba
France, Arsenal.
60 matches, 1 goal, 1 assist, 3 yellow cards, 0 red card.
Trophy: Premier League.
Ferran Torres
Spain, FC Barcelona/Paris-SG.
65 matches, 25 goals, 7 assists, 3 yellow cards, 0 red card.
Trophies: World Cup, Liga, Spanish Super Cup.
Dayot Upamecano
France, Bayern Munich.
58 matches, 2 goals, 4 assists, 9 yellow cards, 1 red card.
Trophies: Bundesliga, German Cup, German Super Cup.
Vinícius Jr.
Brazil, Real Madrid.
66 matches, 28 goals, 16 assists, 11 yellow cards, 0 red card.
Trophy: none.
Vitinha
Portugal, Paris-SG.
64 matches, 7 goals, 10 assists, 3 yellow cards, 0 red card.
Trophies: Champions League, Intercontinental Cup, European Super Cup, Ligue 1, French Super Cup.
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