EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsWhat does it take to win the men's Ballon d'Or? Regular world-class performances, at least one major trophy during the past 12 months, big goals when it matters most, superstar status and, increasingly, a PR campaign on a par with a presidential election, to name a few.These are the crucial elements for any player who aspires to claim football's greatest individual honor.Humility? Not so much.It is little wonder that football's elite are so desperate to get their hands on one; heading into Monday's ceremony, the competition is as wide open as it's ever been in the modern era, with the end of the Lionel Messi/Cristiano Ronaldo era fast approaching. This year's leading candidates -- Lamine Yamal, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbapp -- have all had superlative seasons, but only one can take the prize.Trophies are the ultimate currency for the world's top footballers and none come bigger than the Champions League and men's World Cup, but for those at the summit of the game, the honor of winning a Ballon d'Or is everything. It's a combination of ego, commercial value, legacy and the chance to secure a place in the history books.- Can ESPN predict the Ballon d'Or winners?- Champions League Power Rankings: Who's No.1?- Who deserves to win men's award | Women's awardMessi has eight Ballons d'Or and Ronaldo has five of the gold-dipped trophies, made by Parisian jewelry house Mellerio dits Meller. In the days before Messi and Ronaldo's domination of the award, Michel Platini, Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten were the gold standard with three each. But for Yamal, Kane and Mbapp, winning the Ballon d'Or is no longer just about letting the football do the talking."It has become quite unedifying," a representative of a previous Ballon d'Or winner told ESPN. "It seems that the tone of the PR drive this year has been Give me the Ballon d'Or because I've scored lots of goals, but maybe that's because there isn't an obvious standout candidate and the main contenders see this as the best chance they'll have of winning it."Prior to the voting closing for this year's award on Sept. 28, Yamal, Mbapp and Kane all gave at least two major interviews about their chances of winning the Ballon d'Or."You don't give [Ballon d'Or] to ordinary players," Real Madrid and France forward Mbapp told France Football. "You give it to players who are different. I think I did things that were different this year, so I believe I can win it."Bayern Munich and England striker Kane was similarly robust about his own chances, telling Marca, "I've never liked to talk about myself too much. The only thing I would say is that last season was incredible, on a personal level and as a team."It's true that to finish on 73 goals [last season], the second-highest tally in history, speaks for itself."Barcelona and Spain forward Yamal, who would become the youngest winner at the age of 19 if he tops the vote, suggested that only he or Mbapp would be worthy winners this year. "I would give it to the best player in the world," Yamal told Movistar. "I honestly believe that there are maybe two of us who are the best in the world and I think I deserve it this year because of what I've won."For me, Mbapp and I are the best in the world. It is clear to me. Everyone who watches the matches knows it."The race to win the Ballon d'Or has changed dramatically in recent years. When Michael Owen won the award in 2001, the then-Liverpool and England forward was presented with the trophy in an office at Anfield after admitting to manager Gerard Houllier that he had no idea what the Ballon d'Or was."When I was first told by Gerard Houllier that I'd won it, I said to him, 'What is it?'" Owen told ESPN. "I didn't know what it was. I knew there was an award to vote for the best player in the world of that year, but I didn't know what it was called and I didn't know much about it. It's very different now."Unlike in the 2010s, when only Luka Modric (2018) broke the Messi-Ronaldo duopoly of the award, the 2020s has seen four different winners in five years with Messi (twice), Karim Benzema, Rodri and Ousmane Dembl receiving the Ballon d'Or.Yamal, Kane, Mbapp, Erling Haaland and Messi are all contenders to win the 2026 award when it is presented at the London Palladium on Monday, but each candidate has their strengths and weaknesses in the ballot, which comprises of one football journalist from each of the top 100 in the FIFA world rankings choosing their top 10 players for the year.Barcelona forward Yamal won LaLiga and then lifted the World Cup with Spain, but overall he had a quiet tournament with just one goal and no assists. Mbapp won the World Cup Golden Boot with 10 goals -- and also became the tournament's all-time leading scorer -- but failed to win a trophy with Real Madrid or France. Kane, despite winning a domestic league and cup double with Bayern, was unable to lead England to World Cup glory and failed to score beyond the round of 16 stage.All of it means that winning the PR game and convincing the small electorate of your credentials might just be decisive in winning this year's Ballon d'Or."There is definitely an element of trying to influence [voting]," Clifford Bloxham, senior vice president of EMEA Talent & Properties at global sports marketing agency Octagon, told ESPN. "But I think it's also showing that you value the Ballon d'Or as well."If you are a serious contender and you can't even be bothered to talk about it, then if I was a judge, I would think, 'Well, do they even care?'"I would imagine that Michael Owen's generation was probably the last that wouldn't be so familiar with the Ballon d'Or because it has since been elevated by the guys who've won it -- Messi and Ronaldo -- and also because they really cared about winning it."When Rodri won the Ballon d'Or in 2024, the then-Manchester City midfielder became the first defensive player to win the award since Real Madrid and Italy defender Fabio Cannavaro in 2006. He topped the polling over Real Madrid forward Vincius Jnior by 41 votes, and City were proactive in promoting the Spain international's candidacy by making him available for several interviews, including with ESPN, to raise his global profile."Rodri was a specific case because he had no real brand or media presence," a source involved in the PR campaign told ESPN. "It wasn't about Rodri saying, 'I need to win the Ballon d'Or' or 'I must win it,' rather about making voters from various countries around the world aware of the year that he had had."Some players don't need to go down that route, but with Rodri, it was very specific to him, especially when you consider he was up against Vini Jr. and Jude Bellingham, two massive stars from the biggest club in the world."It's also a big deal for the clubs involved to have a Ballon d'Or winner on their roster: Real Madrid have had more than any other club, with eight previous winners, and when Rodri won in 2024 over Vincius, Real Madrid boycotted the ceremony in protest. Ultimately, it comes down to an individual award and one player being crowned as the best in the world ahead of his rivals."It's massive for whoever wins it," Bloxham said. "Commercially, it will obviously help boost a player's brand, it's much more than that because it's very rare for players in team sports to be elevated above the rest."If you win the World Cup, you share it with 10 other guys, but if you win the Ballon d'Or, it's just you, so it would be like a tennis player winning Wimbledon. You have that solo success and all the history that goes with it, so you stand out from the crowd. And that's what the big stars really want to do."
