Real Madrid stars Jude Bellingham and Vinícius Júnior have missed out on the top 10 of the 2026 men’s Ballon d’Or rankings, finishing 11th and 17th respectively.
The rankings for positions 11 to 30 were released ahead of the awards ceremony at the London Palladium in England on Monday, with the final 10 contenders remaining in the race for the prestigious individual prize.
According to the official Ballon d’Or rankings, Bellingham finished 11th, while Vinícius was placed 17th.
Barcelona midfielder Pau Cubarsí came 12th, Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi finished 13th, and PSG midfielder Vitinha placed 14th.
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice was 15th, followed by Barcelona forward Ferran Torres in 16th.
Top 10 contenders
The following 10 players made the top 10, although their final positions were yet to be announced at the time of publication. They are listed in no particular order.
– Ousmane Dembélé
– Erling Haaland
– Harry Kane
– Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
– Lamine Yamal
– Kylian Mbappé
– Lionel Messi
– Michael Olise
– Rodri
– Fabián Ruiz
Full men’s Ballon d’Or rankings: 11th–30th
11 – Jude Bellingham
12 – Pau Cubarsí
13 – Achraf Hakimi
14 – Vitinha
15 – Declan Rice
16 – Ferran Torres
17 – Vinícius Júnior
18 – Marc Cucurella
19 – João Neves
20 – Willian Pacho
21 – Gabriel Magalhães
22 – Lautaro Martínez
23 – Nuno Mendes
24 – Luis Díaz
25 – Marquinhos
26 – Dayot Upamecano
27 – Bruno Fernandes
28 – Julián Quiñones
29 – Sadio Mané
29 – William Saliba
The 2026 ceremony is the 70th edition of the Ballon d’Or awards. The event is being held in London for the first time, having traditionally taken place in Paris. (Punch)
