fergie001: The 70th Balon d'Or Ceremony took place on 26th December in London, the first time outside Paris (except for 2010-2015 in Switzerland when it merged with the FIFA awards) in commemoration of its first winner, Englishman Sir Stanley Matthews.
The award originally eligible for only European players who played for European clubs, it was expanded in 1995 to include players from any nationality who played in European clubs. The same year, saw Liberia's former President George Opong Weah pick up the award following his move from PSG to AC Milan.
This year's format saw a set of journalists, one from each of the FIFA top-ranked 100 nations of the world vote for the best player who had distinguished himself from August 2025-July 2026. The criteria was based on individual performances, team play/collective trophies and fair play.
30 names were compiled with the journalists voting for their top 10 via a point-based system: 1st - 15 points, 2nd -12 points, 3rd - 10 points, 4th - 8 points, 5th - 7 points, 6th - 5 points, 7th - 4 points, 8th - 3 points, 9th - 2 points & 10th - 1 point.
Harry Kane got the Golden Ball, the first for an Englishman in 25 years after Michael Owen (following Liverpool's League Cup, UEFA Cup & FA Cup triumphs) in 2001.
Mbappe & Yamal finished 2nd & 3rd respectively.
See how they voted;...
These countries voted No 1 for Yamal 🇨🇭 Switzerland 🇲🇰 North Macedonia 🇦🇱 Albania 🇩🇿 Algeria 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇨🇻 Cape Verde 🇭🇳 Honduras 🇹🇷 Turkey 🇯🇴 Jordan 🇲🇽 Mexico 🏴 Wales 🇹🇳 Tunisia
These countries voted No 1 for Kylian Mbappe France 🇫🇷 Ghana 🇬🇭 Germany 🇩🇪 Bahrain 🇧🇭 Benin 🇧🇯 Bulgaria 🇧🇬 Cameroon 🇨🇲 Ivory Coast 🇨🇮 Egypt 🇪🇬 Ecuador 🇪🇨 Spain 🇪🇸 Finland 🇫🇮 Guinea 🇬🇳 Iraq 🇮🇶 Italy 🇮🇹 Mali 🇲🇱 Palestine 🇵🇸 Paraguay 🇵🇾 Netherlands 🇳🇱 Qatar 🇶🇦 DR Congo 🇨🇩 Romania 🇷🇴 Zambia 🇿🇲
These countries voted No 1 for No 1 for Harry Kane Japan 🇯🇵 South Africa 🇿🇦 England 🏴 Angola 🇦🇴 Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦 Australia 🇦🇺 Austria 🇦🇹 Belgium 🇧🇪 Bolivia 🇧🇴 Bosnia and Herzegovina 🇧🇦 Canada 🇨🇦 Chile 🇨🇱 Colombia 🇨🇴 Costa Rica 🇨🇷 Denmark 🇩🇰 Scotland 🏴 Ireland 🇮🇪 Haiti 🇭🇹 Hungary 🇭🇺 Iran 🇮🇷 Northern Ireland 🇬🇧 Israel 🇮🇱 Jamaica 🇯🇲 Kosovo 🇽🇰 Luxembourg 🇱🇺 Montenegro 🇲🇪 Norway 🇳🇴 New Zealand 🇳🇿 Oman 🇴🇲 Uganda 🇺🇬 Uzbekistan 🇺🇿 Poland 🇵🇱 Russia 🇷🇺 El Salvador 🇸🇻 Senegal 🇸🇳 Slovakia 🇸🇰 Slovenia 🇸🇮 Sweden 🇸🇪 Uruguay 🇺🇾 Venezuela 🇻🇪
OUTSIDE THE BOX These countries voted No 1 for Lionel Mess 🇦🇷 Argentina 🇧🇾 Belarus 🇧🇷 Brazil 🇨🇳 China 🇦🇪 UAE 🇵🇦 Panama
Kane had 11 second-placed votes & 14 third-placed votes Mbappe had 24 second-placed votes & 17 third-placed votes Yamal had 20 second-placed votes & 14 third-placed votes
Veteran sports Journalist, Samm Audu was Nigeria's representative He voted Rodri as #1 Kylian Mbappe 5th.
ebubeson: If someone has good intentions to marry you, you may be privileged, but if the person you are in a relationship with has other motives of going out with you, then you may be in trouble.
Below are some reasons why your partner may be dating you, or in a relationship with you.
(1) For the purpose of marriage. (2) To use you in satisfying sexual urge. (3) To pass time before the person they want comes. (4) To eat your money. (5) To steal from your destiny through diabolic means. (6) To have kids with you as baby daddy or baby mama. (7) To use you in healing past heartbreak and dump you when they are fine. ( To just date you and share interests with you. (9) To just be among those in a relationship. (10) To intentionally waste your time and divert you from getting a good partner. (11) To keep you so that no one else have you, but to discard you later.
There are ladies that embody almost 10 of these points.
Abia AAC Governorship Candidate Doris Ogala heading to Prison. : "I no dey fear Chris Okafor, prison i go dey i go come out" She said pic.twitter.com/lEuXIIjHAA
They are carrying this 93yrs old sick man about and fronting him for 2nd term. His witch wife remi was seen slipping him his daily dose of resuscitation at the failed rally in kaduna. Because they know that he just returned from a long stay in France for treatment, they don't want to pass him off as critically ill so they chose Saudi Arabia and sold the story of " going to pray for Nigeria" to his gullible followers.
Lovelink1991: A 28-year-old lady has revealed why she is not yet married, saying she is still searching for the kind of man she truly wants.
Her statement has sparked conversations about love, marriage, and whether it is better to wait for the right partner than to settle for someone who doesn't meet your expectations. 💍❤️
What do you think? Is it better to wait for the right person or compromise and settle down?
MEGAWATCH: Who knows the kind of terrible suffering background you are coming from that you can just accept anything to support nonsense.
May God remember you abeg because this is not what you should be doing at this time of your life.
🥸
For real. 😆 🤣 😂. Na them go dey struggle with life still de support their oppressors. Later their mama and grandmama go queue de struggle for free bread.
Treasure17: That's why it doesn't make sense to invest in a lady you are married to. Men should stop all these nonsense behavior. Women are only loyal to their feelings and not your sacrifice.
It is actually the height of greed. Taking more than one can squander, even his 20th generation cannot finish that money no matter how reckless they are at spending.
And if they decide to zone it to Ebonyi to produce a candidate, I am 💯 sure that this slowpoke will front himself as the most qualified for the position.
Kaduna is still tense ahead of the President’s visit! Reports from different areas suggest that people have been chanting “Bamayi! Bamayi!” at APC members. 😂🤣
No wonder security personnel are reportedly guarding billboards everywhere! 😭😂 pic.twitter.com/mNiu550LDH