The 2026 Ballon d'Or debate continues to heat up ahead of the October ceremony, with one of football's most respected former goalkeepers lending his support to Lionel Messi as the biggest individual award in football approaches. Speaking in an interview with Kalshi Sports, Petr Cech was asked directly who he expects to win the award. "The Ballon d'Or winner? That's a good question, but I think Messi has a great chance," said the former Chelsea goalkeeper. Messi's case is based on a remarkable year at the age of 39 that included leading Inter Miami to the MLS title, recording 45 goals and 30 assists in 49 games, and leading Argentina to the World Cup final with eight goals. and four assists in the tournament. A win would give him the Ballon d'Or for a ninth time, extending his record and leaving him well behind any other player in the award's history. However, Messi faces stiff competition from a list of contenders headed by Harry Kane, who scored 73 goals for club and country during the period under review, along with Kylian Mbappe, who topped the scoring charts in La Liga, the Champions League and World Cup, as well as Lamine Yamalin, who won the domestic treble with Barcelona and lifted the World Cup with Spain. Current betting odds still list Messi as an underdog, but the ceremony, scheduled for October 26 in London, remains open as journalists have yet to cast their votes. Messi's bid for the 2026 Ballon d'Or marks his nomination 17th in his career, second only to the record of Cristiano Ronaldo's 18 nominations, in a streak that started in 2007 and has continued almost every year since then. Of these 17 nominations, he has managed to win eight times, for the first time in 2009 and most recently in 2023, making him the footballer with the most Ballon d'Or trophies in history. No other player has come close to Messi's consistent level of brilliance in the eyes of voters, with only Ronaldo's five Ballon d'Or victories coming close to the record. A ninth trophy in October would further extend Messi's lead over Ronaldo and the rest of the award's history in terms of total wins, although Ronaldo still holds the record for most nominations.

Source: prizrenpost