After the country-by-country voting results for the 2026 Ballon d'Or were announced, the ballot of Egyptian juror and beIN SPORTS journalist Amr Nageeb Fahmy drew attention. He ranked "No Such Person" first, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia second and Yamal third, while the eventual winner Kane was only fourth. Notably, Messi, who finished fifth overall, was not in his top ten. In response to criticism, Fahmy explained that leaving Messi out was related to the third selection criterion set by France Football: fair play.
Amr Nageeb Fahmy explains that: 'I respect your highly refined style, and I wish many others were fortunate enough to have your sense of decorum.
The issue of excluding Messi from my list is tied to the third criterion set by France Football, which is "fair play." In my opinion, as captain of the Argentina national team, Messi never intervened to rein in the abusive style employed by some of his teammates—particularly Enzo and Paredes—and regrettably, he let it slide, as in the Korea incident in the final, for example.
This is, in the end, a personal opinion, one that could be right or wrong... And if the matter were a matter of certainties that allowed no deviation from expectations, there would be no need for a voting committee of human elements; the statistics would settle everything.
Thank you again for your courteous style.'
Amr Nageeb Fahmy's Top Ten for the 2026 Ballon d'Or:
1. Kylian Mbappe
2. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
3. Yamal
4. Kane
5. Vitinha
6. Rice
7. Bellingham
8. Rodri
9. Cubarsi
10. Fabian Ruiz