Luis de la Fuente has spoken out on who he thinks he should win the 2026 Ballon d’Or, and while he did not name one specific favorite, he had one condition: “a Spanish player should win.”
“I always champion domestic products—the ‘Spain’ brand; we are world-class when it comes to training, performance, and quality. And off the top of my head, I’d say Mikel Oyarzabal is missing from the list of candidates; the person writing down the names must have dropped the paper, and he didn’t get included,” he said.
Despite De la Fuente not naming a specific favorite, the Spanish player most favored by betting odds to take home the honor is Lamine Yamal.
“I think Lamine Yamal could win the Ballon d’Or because he is Spanish and an outstanding footballer. If not this year, then in the future; I don’t think it will take him too long to win it. He is looking very good at the start of this season, and we want to enjoy watching him for many years to come,” the coach said.
Harry Kane is the oddsmakers’ current number one favorite, with Yamal second, followed by Kylian Mbappé of Real Madrid. Rodri, who plays for Barcelona but was with Manchester City during the eligible period, comes fourth.
Paris Saint-Germain’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is fifth, ex-Barcelona legend Lionel Messi is sixth, Fabián Ruiz of PSG seventh, and Pau Cubarsí of Barcelona eighth.
Marc Cucurella (Chelsea, now with Real Madrid) and Ferran Torres (Barcelona, now PSG) are the other Spanish players nominated.
Spain won the FIFA World Cup in the summer with Rodri taking home the best player award. Mbappé was the top scorer, while Messi was considered by many to be the tournament’s true best player. Torres scored the winning goal in the final.
Yamal came into the tournament with an injury and was not at his best but still contributed greatly, notably winning a penalty in the semi-final win over France.
For his part, Cubarsí was the anchor of a record-setting Spanish defense that was near-impenetrable during the tournament.
