Thierry Henry says Kylian Mbappé. Zlatan Ibrahimovic says Lamine Yamal.

Twenty days out from the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony in London, two of ESPN FC’s biggest voices have gone public with opposite picks. Ibrahimovic went further than that: in a blind ranking of the current La Liga top five, he put the Barcelona teenager at the top of the list, above Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior, Raphinha and Jude Bellingham.

Speaking on the ESPN FC panel, the former Sweden striker also delivered a one-word Ballon d’Or verdict: “Yamal.”

Ibrahimovic’s five

The blind format forced him to lock in each position before the next name appeared on screen.

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1. Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
2. Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid)
3. Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid)
4. Raphinha (Barcelona)
5. Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)

Three Real Madrid players, two from Barcelona, and the 19-year-old at the top of the list ahead of a group that has won most of the big individual prizes in football.

Henry picks Mbappé

On the same panel, Henry made the opposite case.

“It’s Kylian Mbappe. Yes, some people will say he hasn’t won anything. I think that has happened in the history of the award before, so people should look into that,” Henry told ESPN FC.

“But for me, it’s Kylian. When you look at what he has achieved individually, top scorer in the Champions League, top scorer in La Liga and also top scorer at the World Cup.”

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From runner-up to frontrunner

Yamal finished second in the 2025 Ballon d’Or, beaten by Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembélé.

Twelve months on, the Barcelona winger is widely tipped to go one better. Both Yamal and Mbappé are on the 2026 Ballon d’Or shortlist, and the ceremony is at the London Palladium on 26 October.

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