Mark Cucurella says he would have voted for Kylian Mbappe or Lamine Yamal rather than Harry Kane for the 2026 Ballon d’Or, although he accepts the Bayern Munich striker was a worthy winner.
The Real Madrid defender was asked by Spanish programme El Chiringuito whether Kane’s victory was unfair. He said: “No, I cannot say it was unfair, because if you look at his numbers, they are figures he may not be able to repeat. In that respect, he had an exceptional season.”
Cucurella added: “But personally, I would have given it to Mbappe or Lamine Yamal because, in the end, they are the kind of players I turn on the television to watch, as a football fan. Do you understand what I mean?”
“It is not that Kane did not deserve the award, but I have to admit I was a little surprised by the result,” he said.
Kane won the prize at a ceremony in London on 26 October, becoming the first English player to claim the Ballon d’Or since Michael Owen in 2001 and only the fifth in England’s history to achieve the feat.
The 2026 result remains a subject of debate, particularly because of the closeness of the contest with Mbappe and Yamal, who finished second and third respectively in the final voting.
Kane collected 1,055 points, just 28 more than Mbappe’s 1,027. Yamal was third on 881 points, in a vote that saw a particularly narrow gap between the leading pair.
The Bayern Munich forward’s success followed a prolific campaign in which he scored 61 goals in 51 appearances for the club in all competitions. He also scored 12 times for England, taking his combined total for club and country to 73 goals in 65 matches.
Kane helped Bayern Munich win three domestic trophies during the 2025-2026 season. The club regained the league title and also lifted the German Cup and German Super Cup. He scored 14 goals in the Champions League, although Bayern Munich were eliminated in the semi-finals.
Mbappe had also produced a strong season with Real Madrid and France and was Kane’s closest challenger for the award. However, the France forward finished 28 points behind and is still waiting for the first Ballon d’Or of his career.
Yamal continued to establish himself among the leading players in world football by taking third place and also winning the award for the world’s best young player. The Spain international had finished runner-up in the previous edition behind France’s Ousmane Dembele, meaning he has now placed in the top three despite his young age.
