With less than two weeks remaining before Ballon d'Or voting closes, football's biggest stars are stepping up their campaigns for the game's most prestigious individual award.
Such public self-promotion is a relatively modern development in a sport traditionally centred around collective success. In previous years, individual awards attracted relatively little attention until the ceremony approached.
Now, the Ballon d'Or dominates football discussion during the opening months of the European season.
The 2026 winner will be crowned on October 26, with the final phase of the race beginning on September 8 when France Football unveiled its 30 nominees to succeed Ousmane Dembele.
This year's ceremony will take place in London, despite only five of the 30 nominees playing in the Premier League.
While the Ballon d'Or carries no direct cash prize, winning it can significantly enhance a player's commercial value and global profile. Some stars have performance-related bonuses connected to the award in their boot sponsorship contracts, while clubs can also benefit through increased exposure and merchandise sales.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo underline the commercial power associated with football's biggest individual names. Messi has won the Ballon d'Or a record eight times, while Ronaldo has claimed it five times, with both earning estimated annual sponsorship income of more than $65 million, according to Forbes.
The winner will be decided by 100 invited journalists, with one representative from each of the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings casting a vote.
With no overwhelming favourite emerging, several leading contenders — and their representatives — are making increasingly public cases for the award.
Barcelona star Lamine Yamal has been among the most outspoken contenders after winning both the World Cup and LaLiga in 2026.
"For me, Mbappe and I, we're the two best players in the world," the 19-year-old told Movistar Plus.
"I honestly think that, as the best in the world, maybe there are two of us, and this year I deserve it because of what I've won."
Yamal's comments followed Kylian Mbappe's own argument for the award.
The Real Madrid striker ended the year without a trophy for club or country, with France losing to Spain in the World Cup semi-finals. However, Mbappe scored 10 goals at the tournament to become the World Cup's all-time leading scorer with 22.
He also finished as the leading scorer in both LaLiga and the Champions League last season.
"Being the all-time top scorer in World Cup history, overtaking all the great legends in the history of the sport in the most important tournament there is, is something that really stands out, a global event," Mbappe said.
Asked who he would vote for, his response was simple: "Myself."
Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has also publicly backed his striker.
"We know who has made history this summer, and he's not from PSG or the Spanish national team," Mourinho said.
Real Madrid's relationship with the award has already generated controversy. The Spanish giants boycotted the 2024 ceremony after learning shortly before travelling that none of their seven nominees had won.
Paris Saint-Germain have a record 10 nominees this year after retaining the Champions League, although having so many candidates could potentially split support among their players.
Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Fabian Ruiz are among PSG's leading contenders, with Ruiz the only nominee to have won both the Champions League and World Cup this year.
"Why not dream?" the Spanish midfielder told French television when asked about his chances.
PSG have resisted publicly endorsing a single candidate, instead arguing that one of their players deserves to take home the award.
"Kvara and Doue are incredible players. For me Kvara could win the Ballon d'Or, as could Dembele and others," coach Luis Enrique said.
Dembele, meanwhile, has adopted a more reserved approach to defending his crown.
"May the best player win; in any case, it's not us who are voting," he told France Football. "I never sell myself. It's up to them to decide."
England captain Harry Kane is another major contender after an extraordinary individual season.
The Bayern Munich striker scored 73 goals as he helped the German club secure a domestic double and captained England to third place at the World Cup.
Kane himself has remained relatively quiet about his Ballon d'Or chances, but Bayern have been actively promoting his candidacy.
The club produced a video featuring teammates backing the striker for the award.
"He deserves to win it, 100 per cent, without a doubt," said Colombia international Luis Diaz, who is also among the 30 nominees.
With Yamal pointing to trophies, Mbappe highlighting his historic goalscoring achievements, PSG boasting unprecedented representation and Bayern campaigning for Kane, the final days of Ballon d'Or voting promise an intense battle for every vote.
