Simeone Drops Unexpected Reason Why Messi Tops Yamal and Dembele for 2026 Ballon d’Or Race

Diego Simeone did not hesitate when asked who should win the 2026 Ballon d’Or, cutting straight past the names most commonly floated for the award to back Lionel Messi instead. The Atletico Madrid manager made his case during Tuesday’s press conference ahead of his side’s clash with Osasuna, and he was clear about the reasoning behind his pick.

The question arose after Simeone was told that Lamine Yamal had recently named himself and Kylian Mbappe as the two best players in the world at the moment. Rather than engaging with that framing, the Argentine coach pointed in a completely different direction. “Messi, without a doubt. After the World Cup he had, at the age he is, no doubt at all. Messi,” Simeone said.

The key factor behind that endorsement, as Simeone framed it, was not just Messi’s performance at the 2026 World Cup, where he helped Argentina reach the final before falling to Spain, but the fact that he produced it at 39 years old.

For Simeone, the combination of continued elite-level output at that stage of his career outweighs any case built around Yamal, Mbappe, or the rest of this year’s crowded field, which also includes Rodri, the 2025 winner, Harry Kane, and Ousmane Dembele.