# Pride, prestige, profile – the great Ballon d’Or campaign

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/pride-prestige-profile-the-great-ballon-dor-campaign/
- Published: 2026-10-23T06:06:38+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-23T07:10:31+00:00
- Original publisher: BBC Sport (publisher lean: Centre)
- Original article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c65yng4x302jo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
- Topics: Elections, Football, Politics, Sport

## Key points

- Ballon d’Or campaigning intensified ahead of the 2026 award.
- PSG has a record 10 players on the shortlist.
- Journalists from 100 Fifa-ranked nations have voted.

## Summary

The Ballon d’Or campaign for 2026 gathered pace soon after Ousmane Dembélé won the 2025 award, with players, clubs and their representatives promoting candidates ahead of the ceremony. The article examines how the build-up has become a public contest over individual achievement, especially in a World Cup year, when national success is also being linked to players’ chances of winning.

Paris St-Germain has a record 10 players on the shortlist, while Barcelona’s Deco called Raphinha and Pedri’s omissions a “huge scandal” and backed Lamine Yamal. Kylian Mbappé openly said he thought he was the best, while Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia praised each other; the voting, by journalists from the top 100 Fifa-ranked nations, had already closed. Some observers describe the lobbying as election-style campaigning, while others argue the best players should not need to campaign for recognition.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.