Samir Nasri protests against the Ballon d’Or given to Harry Kane

Harry Kane, star striker of FC Bayern Munich, narrowly overtook Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal in the Ballon d’Or ranking, while Samir Nasri, appearing on the YouTube show Les Affranchis, vehemently opposed this award.

Ballon d’Or Ranking

According to Vincent Garcia, editor-in-chief of France Football, the points gap between the England captain and his French runner‑up was even smaller than the 41 points that separated Rodri from Vinícius Júnior in the 2024 edition. Kane thus edged past Mbappé and Yamal, who were trailing. The vote shows an unexpected closeness between the English top scorer and the young French talents.

Kane’s collective honours last season include the Bundesliga, the German Cup and the Super Cup, titles won with FC Bayern Munich. Nasri, however, believes that these achievements are not enough to justify the top spot in the final ranking.

Samir Nasri’s Reaction

“I’m not okay with this at all. What are we basing this on? Just on goals scored?” Nasri said. He went on to remind that Kane is not the best player in the Bundesliga, naming Michael Olise as the better one. He also pointed out that Kane was never even voted the best player of the German league.

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In his view, the English top scorer did not dominate the World Cup, and his role does not go beyond that of a traditional number 9. He added that the most important match of Kane’s season, the Champions League semi‑final against PSG, was omitted from the ranking.

Nasri claimed that he would have awarded the 2026 Ballon d’Or to the young Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal, rather than to Mbappé in second place. He dismissed Mbappé’s position, arguing that the evaluation criteria should not rely solely on goal statistics.

A former French international, Nasri played for Arsenal and Olympique de Marseille before speaking on the YouTube platform. He reminded that the Bundesliga’s best player award was given to Michael Olise, and that the Ballon d’Or should not be limited to collective performances.

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This contrast between the voting result and Nasri’s challenge highlights the ongoing debate over the Ballon d’Or criteria, between collective success and individual qualities. It hints at a possible re‑evaluation of the selection process for future editions.