Nigerians missing as 2026 Ballon d’Or winner emerges

For the first time in three years, no Nigerian footballer made the shortlist across all categories for the prestigious global Ballon d’Or award which will be taking place today.

Top global stars including Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal, and Kylian Mbappe are leading the race for the prize.

The 70th edition of the gala, hosted by Kate Scott and Thierry Henry, is scheduled to commence at the London Palladium, marking its first departure from Paris.

However, notable Nigerian football stars, including Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman, are conspicuously absent from the 30-man men’s shortlist.

Despite scoring seven of the Super Eagles’ 14 goals at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, Osimhen and Lookman fell short of the nomination criteria. The assessment favoured performances at the recent World Cup, which the Nigerian national team failed to qualify for.

In 2024, Lookman placed 14th globally, while Osimhen secured an eighth-place finish in 2023 following his Serie A heroics with Napoli. Last year, the Super Falcons brought pride to the continent when the head coach of the team, Justine Madugu and the goalkeeper, Chiamaka Nnadozie secured fourth-place finishes in their respective categories.

This year, Africa’s sole representative on the men’s shortlist is Al Nassr’s Sadio Mané. Meanwhile, French giants Paris Saint-Germain dominate the overall list with 10 nominees, alongside players from Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, and Arsenal.

The ultimate winner is decided by a voting panel of journalists from the top 100 countries in the FIFA men’s rankings. The voting will be done by evaluating individual performance, overall team achievements, and fair play on the pitch.