Ballon d'Or gala in London: Messi reportedly absent, no Portuguese in top 10

Portugal finish outside the top 10

Vitinha placed 14th in the 2026 Ballon d'Or, the highest of the four Portuguese nominees. João Neves was 19th, repeating his position from 2024/25, Nuno Mendes was 23rd and Bruno Fernandes 27th. No Portuguese player reached the top 10, the first time since 2023/24 that Portugal has been without a top-10 representative. The placings were released in stages before the gala, and Bruno Fernandes's position was among the first to be announced. Vitinha, third in 2024/25, had a season of club honours with Paris Saint-Germain, including a second European title, a fifth French championship and the European and French Super Cups. He was also named player of the Champions League final, which PSG won against Arsenal on penalties in Budapest.

Vitinha14

João Neves19

Nuno Mendes23

Bruno Fernandes27

Vitinha

14 ranking position

João Neves

19 ranking position

Nuno Mendes

23 ranking position

Bruno Fernandes

27 ranking position

Data from the article text

Bruno Fernandes, a Manchester United midfielder, was named Premier League player of the season and broke the league's record for assists. He also played for Portugal at the 2026 World Cup, where the Nations League holders were knocked out in the round of 16 by Spain. Nuno Mendes, a left-back at Paris Saint-Germain, finished in the top 10 in 2024/25 and dropped to 23rd this year. Portugal had four players among the 30 nominees, but none of them made the top 10.

Messi and the men's finalists

Lionel Messi is one of ten men's finalists, a return to the top 10 that follows his form with Inter Miami in MLS and his decisive role in Argentina's run to the 2026 World Cup final, which they lost to Spain. Messi holds the record of eight Ballon d'Or wins, ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo's five. Argentina's Olé reported that Messi did not board a flight from Miami to Europe for the ceremony, and ANSA described this as an indication that he would not win. The other nine men's finalists are Ousmane Dembélé, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Kylian Mbappé, Michael Olise, Fabián Ruiz, Rodri and Lamine Yamal. Dembélé won the 2024/25 edition, and Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappé and Harry Kane are named as the most probable successors.

The gala and the 70th edition

The ceremony is being held at the London Palladium Theatre on Monday, 26 October, the 70th anniversary of the award. France Football, the magazine that runs the Ballon d'Or, presents the trophy after ranking 30 candidates. The publications that carried the top-30 announcements said the winner had not been revealed at the time of their reports. Portugal's Vitinha and Bruno Fernandes were both named in that announced top 30, and the full ranking will be complete once the gala begins.

Reaction from a former teammate

Jordi Alba, a former Spain left-back who shared a dressing room with Messi at Barcelona, told DAZN that Messi is the best player while he keeps playing. Alba said voters often look at trophies, including the World Cup, the European Championship and the Champions League, but should look at who is best, and he considers that to be Messi. If the award does not go to Messi, Alba said he would give it without hesitation to Lamine Yamal. His comments were made before the gala on Monday, 26 October.