AFP
Sep 24, 2026 05:44-04:00
Translated by
“They tried to contact me”: a behind-the-scenes surprise to direct the votes
The race for this year’s Ballon d’Or has turned into something resembling an electoral campaign, amid the great uncertainty surrounding the identity of the awaited winner, who is due to be announced during the ceremony hosted by the British capital London on 26 October.
With the deadline for closing votes set for next Monday, the nominated stars have ramped up their media presence, each seeking to boost his chances in front of the journalists tasked with choosing the best player in the world.
One hundred journalists take part in the vote, one from each country among the top 100 national teams in FIFA’s ranking. Talk of the media race has become an essential part of the scene in recent weeks.
Media campaigns: each player chooses his own way
The nominees deal with the Ballon d’Or race in very different ways. Kylian Mbappé has chosen intensive media exposure, with the players’ close circles playing a prominent role in managing these moves and pushing specific messages to the media.
Harry Kane and others prefer a quieter strategy. They limit themselves to one or two interviews with major outlets, alongside the traditional and lengthy interview with France Football magazine, the organiser of the award.
Clubs are in on the campaign too. They open their doors to journalists more than usual, or highlight the statistics of their players, their numbers and their performance across the season.
Spain’s major European clubs stand out, boasting a great ability to influence the media and communicate directly with local journalists.
Journalists reveal the difficulty of choosing the winner
RMC Sport contacted three journalists who take part in the voting for the 2026 Ballon d’Or, all from different continents and time zones, to reveal the nature of the competition from inside the process.
One journalist, speaking anonymously, said: “In all honesty, you talk about the media campaigns of some players, but I have seen only very little of these moves. One should not rely on social media, because it amplifies phenomena and criticisms, and these clips will not influence me when I determine my list of the best 10 players.”
He does not much understand the importance of “these repeated statements”, he explained, except when a player conducts a direct interview with the voting journalist. “And here I think the matter can affect the vote,” he added.
In Spain, a journalist from AS newspaper who holds the right to vote conducted an interview with Mbappé.
“This year is the hardest”
Another voter, also anonymous, said: “This is a more open year than other years, and therefore it is difficult to find a player who enjoys everyone’s consensus within the proposed list.”
“You can see players who shone during the season, but who did not shine at the World Cup, and there are others for whom the opposite happened,” he added. “It is difficult to find a player who shone in both parts of the season.”
He went on: “There are players who have strong individual arguments, but who do not have collective achievements at the same level. I do not have very long experience in voting, but this year is the hardest.”
Voting demands constant attention to the season, the same journalist confirmed. “The voter must follow the season, and analyse the facts and statistics, so that he has a clear picture on voting day,” he explained.
He has already settled on his choice for first place, he revealed, but must still complete the list of the best 10 players, stressing the importance of getting the rest of the order right too. “We must take the rest of the ranking into account, as second place must be better than third, and so on.”
A journalist from another continent had not fully settled his list. “I am currently in the final stage of thinking,” he said, before adding: “I settled on my choice for first place since the end of the World Cup.”
Read also:
Ignoring Mbappé, Messi and Kane: Rodri places himself among six candidates for the Ballon d’Or
Attempts to influence some voters
One of the voting journalists revealed that some of those close to the players tried to contact him during the season, but insisted it did not affect his choices.
He told RMC Sport: “Yes, some of those close to some players tried to contact me. I also receive emails and some expressions of interest at certain times of the season, but I do not care about that.”
“You know, the way of approaching them is often indirect,” he added, “and in most cases it is not the player’s agent himself who handles the matter, but rather other forms are used.”
The pressure is great in some countries, another journalist noted, especially when the voters’ choices do not match the wishes of the local fans. He then quipped: “The strongest pressure? When our votes are published.”
The criteria: who deserves the Ballon d’Or?
On the sporting side, the voters disagree over the leading candidates. One with great experience in the field said Khvicha Kvaratskhelia may be affected by being a player from Georgia. “If we do not look at the World Cup, he is certainly among the best three,” he explained.
“After that you have the best goalscorers, Kane and Mbappé,” he added. “Harry Kane won the German league and the German Cup this season, while Mbappé did not win any title.”
The main problem remains what exactly to evaluate when choosing the winner. One journalist summed it up: “For the voters, the question we ask ourselves is: what do we judge it on?”
He pointed to the specific criteria for the Ballon d’Or award, but stressed at the same time that the choice “also involves a personal feeling”.
Another voter laid bare the difficulty of the task, confirming he needed two full days of thinking to prepare his final list of the best 10 players, amid an open race in which it is difficult to arrive at a name that enjoys clear consensus.
You can discuss the topics and news in greater depth in the Kooora forums
