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Predicting Top Ballon D'Or 2026 Contenders
While Ousmane Dembele has been crowned the Ballon d'Or 2025, winner the 2025-26 football season is already underway.
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On that note, let's take a look at 5 players who could be big contenders for men's football's biggest individual award in 2026:
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Kylian Mbappe
Mbappe has begun the 2025-26 season in spectacular form, scoring 9 goals in 7 games for Real Madrid.
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Lamine Yamal
After finishing second in 2025, 18-year-old Barcelona star Yamal is expected to be a contender for years to come.
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Erling Haaland
Like Mbappe, Man City striker Haaland has begun the new season in exceptional scoring form (7 goals in 6 games).
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Harry Kane
The English striker has 16 goal contributions already in just 7 matches for an in-form Bayern Munich team.
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Virgil van Dijk
Liverpool's towering Dutch centre-back could be a surprise contender if he can rack up a few major trophies.
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With 2026 be a World Cup year, players who star in the tournament could end up challenging for the Ballon d'Or.
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