The 30 nominees for the 2026 Ballon d'Or have been announced.
The list includes not only global stars but also two players who play for clubs in Asia.
The number of nominations and award wins are not the same record, and this year's list clearly demonstrates the difference.
3-Line Summary
1. There are 30 nominees for the 2026 Ballon d'Or
2. There are 2 players from Asian clubs
3. The number of nominations and the number of wins are different
Mane and Quiñones Included Among Nominees from the Saudi League
The Ballon d'Or is a football award given to individual players. The 2026 final nominee list included 30 players, including Sadio Mané and Julián Quiñones. Both players stand out on this year's list because they play for clubs on the Asian continent.
Mané is a Senegalese player for Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr. Quiñones is a Mexican player who plays for Al-Qadsiah in the same country. Both players performed in the Saudi Pro League during the 2025-2026 season. This does not mean that their nationalities are Asian, but it is clear that this is a case of two players from Asian clubs being nominated for the Ballon d'Or.
According to CNN Indonesia, Mané recorded 55 appearances, 24 goals, and 13 assists for Al-Nassr last season. He also led Senegal to the final of the Africa Cup of Nations in January 2026. Quiñones recorded 46 appearances, 45 goals, and 5 assists for Al-Qadsiah and also helped Mexico reach the round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup.
When reading this year's nominations, it is necessary to distinguish between “Asian players” and “players playing in Asia.” The reported list included no players of Asian nationality; only Mané and Quiñones, who play for Asian clubs, were included. Even when the same word, “Asian,” is used, the subjects indicated by a player's origin and by the league for which the player plays are different.
Son Heung-min's 11th Place in 2022 and Changes in the Nominee List
The Ballon d'Or was initially an individual award for players from Europe, but starting in 1995, the nominee pool was expanded to players from around the world. Since then, there have been cases in which Japan's Hidetoshi Nakata, South Korea's Park Ji-sung, and South Korea's Son Heung-min, among others, were nominated.
The record most familiar to Korean readers is Son Heung-min's performance in 2022. CNN Indonesia reported that Son ranked 11th that year, recording the highest Ballon d'Or ranking among players of Asian origin. This also means that being included on the nominee list and achieving a high final ranking are separate stages.
There have also been cases of players being nominated while playing for an Asian club. Iraq's Younis Mahmoud was nominated in 2007 while playing for Al-Gharafa in Qatar. Thus, the names of Mané and Quiñones once again show that the history of nationalities and the history of the leagues for which players play do not overlap.
The inclusion of Mané and Quiñones as nominees can be confirmed by the fact that there are two Saudi League players. However, this alone cannot establish the competitiveness of Asian football as a whole or the possibility of future awards. The scope of what this year's list shows extends only to the fact that the two players were included among the 30 nominees.
Another Record: Messi 17 Times, Ronaldo 18 Times
The nominee list does not show only one year's competition. Lionel Messi is an Argentine player for Inter Miami in the United States, and Goal.com reported that his selection as a nominee in 2026 set a career record of 17th Ballon d'Or nomination. Messi was the only nominee on this list who plays for a U.S. league club.
Cristiano Ronaldo is a Portuguese player for Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr. Although he was not included among the 2026 nominees, his career total is 18 nominations, one more than Messi's. Ronaldo's first nomination was in 2005, and his last nomination was in 2022.
However, an advantage in the number of nominations does not directly mean an advantage in the number of wins. Messi has won the Ballon d'Or 8 times, while Ronaldo has won it 5 times. Goal.com explained that the two players are the only players to have won this award more than twice in this century. “18 nominations” and “5 wins,” as well as “17 nominations” and “8 wins,” must be understood as different records.
The 2026 list also included Ousmane Dembélé, Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappé, Rodri, and Harry Kane. Dembélé, the 2025 winner, named Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Kane, and Mbappé as award candidates, while Yamal said that he was satisfied with his season. This is a point at which individual player assessments must be distinguished from the final result. The published list confirms the nominees, but Dembélé's selection was only his opinion.
References
Tags #Ballon d'Or #BallondOr #Ballon d'Or2026 #Ballon d'OrNominees #SadioMané #JuliánQuiñones #SonHeung-min #LionelMessi #CristianoRonaldo #LamineYamal #OusmaneDembélé #SaudiProLeague