Ballon d’Or 2026: ‘There’s No Outright Favourite, Give It To Messi’ – Arshavin Tells Organisers

Former Arsenal midfielder Andrey Arshavin has backed Lionel Messi to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or, arguing that there is no clear favourite for this year’s award.

The Russian believes Messi deserves the honour based largely on his performances for Argentina during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Arshavin’s choice differs from the ongoing debate involving Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal and Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe. Yamal has argued that his trophy haul makes him deserving of the award, while Mbappe has pointed to his impressive goalscoring record.

England captain Harry Kane is also considered a strong contender after finishing as the highest-scoring player across Europe last season.

However, Arshavin does not believe Yamal, Mbappe or Kane is a definite favourite. Instead, he highlighted Messi’s World Cup performance and his contribution to Inter Miami’s first MLS championship.

“It appears to me that no clear favourite exists for the Ballon d’Or this year. However, I would award it to Messi. He delivered an exceptional World Cup, propelling Argentina nearly independently,” Arshavin said in an interview with Sports.ru.

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“Regrettably, he was unable to guide the team to ultimate victory; nevertheless, he demonstrated outstanding performances for both the national team and Inter Miami. Furthermore, he directed the organization to their first league title. This would represent an appropriate concluding achievement given the absence of an evident contender.”