France Football editor-in-chief Vincent Garcia believes the division of votes between Rodri and Lamine Yamal may have prevented the Barcelona winger from winning the Ballon d’Or.
Following Harry Kane’s victory in the 2026 awards, Garcia suggested that the presence of multiple standout performers from Spain complicated the voting process and made it harder for one player to emerge as the clear favourite.
Yamal finished third after another impressive campaign, but Garcia pointed to the competition within Spain’s national team as a possible factor in the final outcome.
Vincent Garcia says Rodri split Ballon d’Or votes with Yamal
Garcia believes Rodri’s standing among voters may have reduced the support available to Yamal, with both players representing Spain and competing for individual recognition.
“I do believe that, in the Spanish team that won the World Cup, there was a split in the vote between Rodri and Lamine Yamal.
Lamine Yamal finished third in Ballon d’Or ranking. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
“I think Rodri took votes away from Lamine in this ballot,” explained Garcia, as per SPORT.
The France Football chief also highlighted the difficulty of choosing one individual from a successful national team built around collective performances.
“There was a bit of a scattering of votes amongst the Spanish players, and above all, the Spanish team was also a collective unit.
“So it was difficult to really single out an individual performance.”
Yamal’s World Cup campaign questioned
Garcia also discussed Yamal’s performances during the World Cup, pointing to the Barcelona forward’s limited goal return and the injury that affected the beginning of his tournament.
Harry Kane is the new Ballon d’Or winner. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
“Lamine Yamal was world champion, but he scored just one goal and started the tournament injured.
“The jury members found it difficult to break the deadlock among the Spanish players and single out one over another.”
Lastly, Garcia declined to disclose his own ballot, leaving the precise distribution of votes unclear.
“I voted for someone who didn’t win, and I believe they deserved it too, but you’ll see on Saturday,” he concluded.