Lionel Messi finished fifth in the 2026 men’s Ballon d’Or rankings. But he still got first-place votes from six countries, including Brazil, a traditional rival of Argentina.
France Football shared the voting results on its website on Friday. Journalists from Argentina, Brazil, Belarus, China, Panama, and the United Arab Emirates ranked Messi as the best player in the world.
Each journalist who picked Messi first gave him 15 points. This helped him reach a total of 612 points.
At 39 years old, Messi ended up fifth overall. He was behind winner Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé, Lamine Yamal, and Rodri.
It was surprising that Brazil chose Messi as their top pick. This choice highlights the fierce football rivalry between Brazil and Argentina.
Kane won the Ballon d’Or with 1,055 points. He was just 28 points ahead of Mbappé, who scored 1,027 points to finish second. Yamal came in third with 881 points, while Rodri took fourth with 726 points.
Messi's six first-place votes were more than what Ousmane Dembélé received in 2025. Dembélé did not get a first-place vote from any of the 100 journalists.
Dembélé ended up seventh overall with 418 points. He was ranked second by journalists from Burkina Faso, China, France, Georgia, Haiti, North Macedonia, and Nigeria.
The 2026 Ballon d’Or voting was one of the closest in history. Kane only beat Mbappé by 28 points.
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