The race for the 2026 Ballon d'Or is taking place not only on the football field, but also behind the scenes in the media. With voting closing on September 28 and the ceremony to be held in London on October 26, the candidates have significantly increased their media appearances, while some of the journalists who are eligible to vote have revealed that they have been contacted during the season by people associated with nominated players.
RMC Sport has interviewed three journalists involved in the voting for the 2026 Ballon d'Or, shedding light on how the competition is unfolding ahead of the final decision. One of them, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he is not influenced by the campaigns carried out on social media, but admitted that direct contact with a candidate can carry more weight.
"There is a lot of talk about the media campaigns of some players, but I have seen very little of them. You should not rely on social networks, because they magnify phenomena and criticism," said the journalist.
However, he made a distinction when it comes to live interviews with voters. "If a player does a live interview with a journalist who has the right to vote, then I think that could influence the vote," he said.
In this climate, Kylian Mbappe has chosen a high media exposure, giving interviews to various international media. Lamine Yamal and other candidates have also been active in the media in recent weeks. French reports have described this period as a kind of campaign before the vote.
Harry Kane, on the other hand, has taken a more reserved approach. The England striker has stated that he is not focused on the individual award, despite his outstanding season with Bayern Munich and the England national team.
Clubs are also playing a role in this media race. According to RMC Sport, some of them are offering journalists more access than usual, while highlighting the statistics and performances of their players during the season. The big Spanish clubs are mentioned as being particularly active in communicating with the local media.
One of the voters interviewed admitted that during the season he was contacted by people close to several football players.
"Yes, some people close to some players have tried to contact me. I also receive emails and signals of interest at different times of the season, but they don't interest me," he said.
According to the journalist, these attempts are not always made directly by agents. "In most cases it is not the player's agent himself who does this. Other forms are used," he stated.
Despite this, voters say this year's race is particularly difficult to judge. One described 2026 as a more open year than usual, with candidates making strong appearances at different times of the season.
"There are players who excelled during the club season but not at the World Cup. There are others for whom the opposite happened. It is difficult to find a player who excelled in both parts of the season," he said.
For voters, the assessment is not limited to goals and assists. Individual performances, trophies, impact on the team and the criteria set for the award are also taken into account, while each journalist must compile a list of ten footballers ranked in their preference.
One of the journalists admitted that he had not yet completed the list, while another said that he had already decided on the first place, but was continuing to analyze the other positions.
Ultimately, the greatest pressure on voters seems to come after individual votes are made public. One of them humorously defined the most difficult moment: “When our votes are made public.”
Thus, before the voting closes on September 28, the race for the 2026 Ballon d'Or has become a clash not only of statistics and trophies, but also of media strategies. Interviews, public exposure, club communications and even contacts from the players' circles have become part of the atmosphere surrounding the decision of the 100 voting journalists.
