‘I won the Ballon d’Or — there is no standout in 2026 but I have a favorite’

0Michael Owen has given his verdict on the 2026 Ballon d’Or favorites -Credit:Getty Images (Getty Images)Former Ballon d'Or winner Michael Owen has said he hopes England captain Harry Kane wins the 2026 edition of the award, but admits the race is wide open.

Later this month, the recipient of the 2026 Ballon d'Or will be revealed, with Kane amongst the favorites to win the prestigious honor. The Bayern Munich forward scored 73 goals in 65 appearances for club and country last season, but faces competition from the likes of Rodri, Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe.

The former pair helped Spain to World Cup glory in July, with Rodri named the player of the tournament after leading his side to a 1-0 win over Argentina at MetLife Stadium. While Yamal did not light up the World Cup as he has on the European stage, the 19-year-old shone for Barcelona last term, helping them to a La Liga title while scoring 24 goals in 45 games across all competitions.

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Team success evaded Mbappe, but the French forward still remains arguably the best in the world. While Real Madrid won nothing, the 27-year-old was as potent as ever, scoring 42 goals in 44 games.

He was the top scorer in La Liga, the Champions League, and at the World Cup, with his performances for France this past summer in North America seeing him become the all-time leading scorer at the World Cup with 22 goals.

Back in 2001, Owen, then of Liverpool, beat out the likes of Raul, Oliver Kahn and David Beckham to win the Ballon d'Or.

Speaking exclusively to Mirror US Sports, the former Liverpool, Real Madrid and Manchester United forward explained that while he hopes to see Kane become the fifth Englishman to win the prestigious award, the race is wide open this year, with Owen able to pick holes in all of the favorites' candidacy.

"I don’t think there’s a standout. I think you could justify four or five players winning it," Owen told Mirror US Sports, via Sportsbook Promos.

"I read a load of rubbish: 'If such and such doesn’t win it, the award is a joke.’ Like, what planet are you on? There is no standout in my mind.

You could throw a player at me, and I could pick holes in it, or I could absolutely justify why. I hope Harry Kane wins it. His numbers, his goal-scoring numbers, are absolutely phenomenal.

"On the flip side, on the downside, I don’t think it's any surprise or great achievement to win the Bundesliga because they [Bayern Munich] win it virtually every year anyway, so I don’t think that is a massive boost to his chances.

"He had a solid World Cup, came third and scored a few goals. It's his sheer number of goals, but then you caveat it saying, 'Well, you know, Bayern Munich batter every single team 5-0 every week.'

"It's easier to score that amount of goals than it is in Serie A. There are pros and cons for everybody."

While Owen hopes Kane is the 2026 recipient, he also believes Mbappe, Yamal and Rodri would be equally worthy of winning the Ballon d'Or.

"Kylian Mbappe, they’ll say, 'Well, what did he win this year?' And of course he won nothing. France didn’t win the World Cup, and Real Madrid didn’t win anything, but he was the top goalscorer in La Liga, the Champions League, and the World Cup. I mean, that is bloody impressive, and this is an individual award.

"You could argue [Lamine] Yamal. Wins the league, wins the World Cup, outstanding young player. Rodri was the best player at the World Cup; he won the World Cup and two trophies at Manchester City. Ok, he was injured and wasn’t as good during the first part of the season, but he was the player of the tournament.

"And he did win the World Cup, and he’s probably one of the most influential players in the world. Like, where do you stop? It’s a very, very open one this year. I hope it’s Harry Kane, but, oh god. I don’t even know who should be the favorite. It’s so open."