Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé has emerged as the leading choice in a Ballon d’Or reader poll, taking a clear advantage over Paris Saint-Germain’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane as the individual-awards season approaches.
The Real Madrid forward received 34.2% of the vote, placing him almost 10 percentage points ahead of Kvaratskhelia, who collected 24.3%. Kane was a distant third on 8.6%, while Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal did not make the top three in the main men’s category.
Mbappé sets the pace in men’s vote
The survey is not an official Ballon d’Or ballot and will not decide the final winner, but it offers an early measure of public preference around the game’s most prominent individual prize.
| Position | Player | Club | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kylian Mbappé | Real Madrid | 34.2% |
| 2 | Khvicha Kvaratskhelia | Paris Saint-Germain | 24.3% |
| 3 | Harry Kane | Bayern Munich | 8.6% |
Yamal’s absence from the senior podium is the notable outcome of the men’s poll. The Barcelona attacker has been widely discussed among the leading candidates for the award, yet the voting placed Mbappé, Kvaratskhelia and Kane ahead of him.
Yamal leads the young-player category
The picture changes sharply in the vote for the best young male player. Yamal dominates that category with 43.3%, ahead of Barcelona team-mate Pau Cubarsí on 22% and Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Warren Zaïre-Emery on 17.6%.
| Position | Player | Club | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lamine Yamal | Barcelona | 43.3% |
| 2 | Pau Cubarsí | Barcelona | 22% |
| 3 | Warren Zaïre-Emery | Paris Saint-Germain | 17.6% |
In the women’s vote, Alexia Putellas led with 26.9%, followed by Selma Bacha at 12.9% and Wendie Renard at 6.6%. Putellas, Bacha and Renard were linked in the poll imagery to Barcelona and Olympique Lyonnais, while Putellas was also listed with a reference to London City Lionesses.
The Ballon d’Or ceremony is scheduled for 26 October in London, when the official winners of one of world football’s principal individual honours will be announced.
