'Zero Koreans' Announced as 2026 Ballon d'Or Candidates... Superstars Kane, Rodri, Messi, Mbappe Lead the Field

*This content was translated by AI.

There is not a single Korean. The final 30 candidates for the 2026 Ballon d'Or, the world's most prestigious individual football award, along with nominees in each category, have been unveiled.

On the 9th (Korean time), the official list of the 30th finalists for the 2026 Men's Ballon d'Or, as well as nominees for Men's Club of the Year, Coach of the Year, Goalkeeper of the Year, and Breakthrough Player of the Year, was officially announced.

Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), who set a remarkable record with 73 goals in a single season, World Cup-winning star Rodri, Lamine Yamal (both FC Barcelona), and Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid) are among those named.

The most eye-catching name is undoubtedly Kane. Kane exploded with 65 appearances, 73 goals, and 8 assists in the 2025–2026 season, leading Bayern Munich to a treble of the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, and German Super Cup. Alongside Kane, Luis Díaz, Michael Olise, and Dayot Upamecano (all from Munich) were also included among the candidates.

Paris Saint-Germain players, who secured multiple titles by winning the Champions League and France's Ligue 1, dominate the candidate pool. Ousmane Dembélé, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, João Neves, Willian Pacho, Vitinha, and Fabián Ruiz (all from Paris Saint-Germain) have been nominated.

Key players from Spain's World Cup-winning national team are also prominently included. Rodri (Manchester City→Barcelona), who won the World Cup Golden Ball, 19-year-old prodigy Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsí (both Barcelona), Ferran Torres (Barcelona→Paris Saint-Germain), and Marc Cucurella (Chelsea→Real Madrid) were selected.

Mbappé, who claimed the World Cup Golden Boot, along with Jude Bellingham and Vinícius Júnior (both Real Madrid), also made the list. Declan Rice, William Saliba, and Gabriel Magalhães (all from Arsenal), who topped the English Premier League, were joined by Erling Haaland (Manchester City), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Lautaro Martínez (Inter Milan), Julián Quiñones (Al-Qadsiah), Sadio Mané (Al-Nassr), and Lionel Messi (Inter Miami) on the 30th-person list.

In the Men's Club of the Year category, five clubs—Arsenal (England), Bayern Munich (Germany), Bodø/Glimt (Norway), Flamengo (Brazil), and Paris Saint-Germain (France)—will compete for the final spot.

For Coach of the Year, Mikel Arteta (Arsenal), Luis de la Fuente (Spain national team), Unai Emery (Aston Villa), Vincent Kompany (Bayern Munich), and Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain) will vie for the award.

In the Goalkeeper of the Year category, Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid), David Raya (Arsenal), Joan García (Barcelona), Unai Simón (Athletic Bilbao), Gregor Kobel (Borussia Dortmund), Matvey Safonov (Paris Saint-Germain), Yassine Bounou (Al-Hilal), Édouard Mendy (Al-Ahly), Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa→Chelsea), and Božidar (Chaves→Colo-Colo) are among the nominees.

In the Breakthrough Player of the Year category, Yamal, Cubarsí, Warren Zaïre-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain), Leonhard Karl (Munich), Elly Junior Kruip (Bournemouth), Ibrahim Maza (Bayer Leverkusen), Yann Diomandé (Leipzig→Real Madrid), Ayoub Bouadi (Lille→Manchester City), Kerim Al-Raibegović (Salzburg→Juventus), and Johan Manzambi (Freiburg→Aston Villa) have been named as candidates.

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*This content was translated by AI.