Piqué has spoken! Barcelona legend shocks with his Ballon d'Or top three
With the Ballon d'Or ceremony just around the corner, Gerard Piqué has weighed in, and his verdict will fuel debates in every pub from Munich to Barcelona.
Details: Speaking about the 2026 Ballon d'Or, Gerard Piqué named his top three favourites for the award: Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal and Rodri. The ceremony, where the winner of football's most prestigious individual prize will be revealed, takes place in Paris later this month.
Piqué's trio covers the three great narratives of this race. Kane, now 33, remains the bookmakers' favourite after a historic season at Bayern Munich: the Englishman finally lifted the Bundesliga trophy and led an attack that shattered the German league's single season scoring record, though semifinal exits in the Champions League and the World Cup still haunt his case. Lamine Yamal is the romantic pick: the 18-year-old has spent the autumn rewriting records, matched a famous Messi milestone with his brace against Levante this weekend, and led the Ballon d'Or race after his World Cup heroics with Spain. And then there is Rodri, the 2024 winner, whose move to Barcelona this summer reunited him with Piqué's beloved club and who remains the metronome of Hansi Flick's perfect La Liga leaders. Notably absent from the former defender's list: Kylian Mbappé, despite the Frenchman's place among the 30 nominees. Whether Piqué's ballot mirrors the voters' will be revealed at the Théâtre du Châtelet, where the football world will gather for the 2026 ceremony.
It's worth noting that Piqué himself never finished higher than ninth in Ballon d'Or voting during his playing career, despite winning the World Cup, the Euros and multiple Champions League titles.
Reminder: Bring on the Ballon d'Or! Yamal matches Messi's impressive achievement.
Miguel Solomons
Dailysports's expert
