Spain’s Ballon d’Or voter explains why he preferred Mbappé to Yamal

José Félix Díaz, a journalist at AS and Spain’s representative in the 2026 Ballon d’Or vote, explained why he ranked Kylian Mbappé ahead of Lamine Yamal, despite the latter’s titles with Barcelona and Spain. He said Mbappé’s consistency and goalscoring figures throughout the season, including at the World Cup, gave him the edge, while Yamal was not at his best in the later stages of the tournament.

Harry Kane finished first in the award ranking, followed by Mbappé and then Yamal. Díaz explained that the difference in the level of competition between the German league and the Spanish and English leagues affected his assessment of Kane’s season. He felt the English striker deserved a high placing, but wondered whether his assessment would have been different had Kane stayed in the Premier League with Tottenham instead of moving to Bayern Munich, noting that he had not led his former team to a title despite the two of them reaching a final.

Díaz said he leaned towards choosing Mbappé from the start of the season to its end, pointing to his leading the scoring charts in the league, the Champions League and the World Cup, and to his leading France to the semi-finals before they were knocked out by Spain. He also considered the player’s ability to maintain a high level despite periods of decline a decisive factor. He felt Real Madrid had not provided him with enough support, and that his influential goals at the World Cup deserved additional weight in the assessment of his season.

Assessing Yamal, Díaz said he had not produced his best performances at the World Cup and had not maintained, towards the end of the season, the level he had reached in earlier spells. While acknowledging Barcelona’s titles, he did not consider the young winger the leading factor in Spain’s success, which he attributed to teamwork. He added that his choice would change if the vote were for the current season, as he would give his vote to Yamal, given Barcelona’s heavy reliance on his attacking influence and ability to make the difference. He explained that his vote was based on individual performance, consistency and impact across the season, not just the number of titles.