UAE Voted for Lionel Messi as 2026 Ballon d’Or Winner
Argentina’s Messi Earns UAE’s Support for Prestigious 2026 Award
The UAE was among six countries whose representatives voted Lionel Messi as their number one choice for the 2026 Ballon d’Or, despite the Argentina captain finishing fifth in the overall standings.
The voting breakdown, released by France Football, showed that journalists from the UAE, Argentina, Belarus, Brazil, China and Panama placed the Inter Miami forward at the top of their ballots. Each first-place vote earned Messi 15 points, adding to his final tally of 612.
Messi’s performances during the 2025-26 MLS campaign and at the 2026 FIFA World Cup appear to have influenced the support he received. The 39-year-old scored 29 goals and provided 15 assists in 34 appearances for Inter Miami during the 2025-26 season.
He also enjoyed a strong World Cup campaign with Argentina, scoring eight goals and registering four assists as the defending champions reached the final.
However, those performances were not enough to secure another individual honour. Messi finished behind Harry Kane, who won the award with 1,055 points, followed by Kylian Mbappe on 1,027, Lamine Yamal on 881 and Rodri on 726.
Kane’s victory ended Messi’s hopes of adding to his record eight Ballon d’Or titles. The Argentine last won the award in 2023, following his World Cup triumph in Qatar.
Although he missed out on the top prize this year, the UAE’s vote placed Messi ahead of every other contender on its ballot, underlining the continued admiration for the Argentine legend.
