“Lamine Yamal Was Not in That Class”: Ghana’s Ballon d’Or Juror Defends Decision to Snub Barca Star

Ghanaian journalist Michael Oti-Adjei ranked Kylian Mbappé first and Harry Kane second in his 2026 Ballon d'Or ballotOti-Adjei questioned how decisive Lamine Yamal was to Spain's World Cup triumph, despite the teenager finishing third in the final countThe Ghana juror used Fabian Ruiz as a reference point to argue that team success alone does not define the world's best playerPAY ATTENTION: Mark YEN.com.gh as a preferred source, and our content will appear higher in your Google feed!

Ghanaian sports broadcaster Michael Oti-Adjei has publicly defended his 2026 Ballon d'Or voting choices, rejecting the notion that Lamine Yamal deserved to rank above Kylian Mbappé and Harry Kane in his assessment of the season's best players.

Oti-Adjei served as Ghana's representative on the panel of journalists tasked with selecting the Ballon d'Or, one of football's most prestigious individual honours.

In his final ballot, he placed Mbappé first, Kane second and the Barcelona teenager Yamal third.

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A central part of his argument concerned Spain's triumph at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

While Yamal was part of the winning squad, Oti-Adjei maintained that collective glory should not be conflated with individual excellence and suggested the teenager himself would acknowledge his limitations in that regard.

Watch Oti-Adjei's explainer, as shared on X:

To reinforce his position, Oti-Adjei pointed to Spain midfielder Fabian Ruiz, who featured prominently for La Roja and Paris Saint-Germain during the campaign period.

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The juror argued that Ruiz's involvement in winning teams did not place him anywhere near the top of the individual rankings.

Yamal, who has grown into one of Barcelona's most prominent figures at a remarkably young age, ultimately finished third in the overall Ballon d'Or standings, behind Mbappé and eventual winner Kane.

Oti-Adjei's comments bring into focus the inherently subjective process behind Ballon d'Or voting, where jury members weigh individual brilliance against team achievement differently, often arriving at sharply contrasting conclusions.

YEN.com.gh also reported that Spanish juror José Félix Díaz has defended his decision to place Kylian Mbappé above Lamine Yamal in his 2026 Ballon d’Or voting.

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He argued that the French forward maintained a higher and more consistent individual level throughout the 2025/26 season, despite Spain’s World Cup triumph.

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Godwin Nii Armah Tagoe (Sports Editor) Godwin Nii Armah Tagoe is a CAF-accredited journalist with over five years of experience in digital journalism. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Integrated Rural Arts and Industry (2016). Godwin’s career includes covering the 2023 AFCON and grassroots competitions within Ghana. He has also served as a Presenter at VNTV, a Sports Analyst at Obonu FM, and a Football Writer for a myriad of sports websites. He joined Yen.com.gh in 2024 to cover sports. Email: godwin.tagoe@yen.com.gh.