Nigeria’s representative in the 2026 men’s Ballon d’Or voting ranked Spanish midfielder Rodri as the world’s best player, placing the Manchester City star ahead of eventual winner Harry Kane, according to the voting breakdown released by France Football.
The voting records, published on Friday, October 30, revealed that Nigeria was among 10 countries whose representatives selected Rodri as their first choice in the prestigious individual award.
The other countries were the United States, Guatemala, South Korea, the Czech Republic, Serbia, Thailand, Vietnam, Croatia and Iceland.
Despite receiving support from 10 countries, Rodri finished fourth in the overall standings with 726 points, behind Bayern Munich striker Kane, Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé and Barcelona youngster Lamine Yamal.
Kane claimed the 2026 Ballon d’Or after accumulating 1,055 points, narrowly beating Mbappé, who finished second with 1,027 points. Yamal completed the top three with 881 points.
Rodri’s fourth-place finish represented another notable achievement for the Spanish midfielder, who previously won the award in 2024.
Nigeria’s representative also placed Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembélé second in the voting rankings.
Dembélé, who won the 2025 men’s Ballon d’Or, finished seventh in the 2026 edition with 418 points, despite failing to receive a single first-place vote from the 100 journalists involved in the selection process.
The French forward was ranked second by representatives from seven countries, including Nigeria, Burkina Faso, China, France, Georgia, Haiti and North Macedonia.
The 2026 Ballon d’Or voting involved journalists representing the 100 highest-ranked countries in the FIFA rankings, with each participant selecting 10 players from the final shortlist.
Under the voting system, players receive 15 points for a first-place selection, 12 for second, 10 for third and progressively fewer points down to one point for a 10th-place selection.
Kane’s victory was particularly remarkable because of the narrow margin separating him from Mbappé. The England international finished just 28 points ahead of the Real Madrid forward, making it the fourth-closest finish in the history of the men’s Ballon d’Or.
The Bayern Munich striker received 40 first-place votes, compared with Mbappé’s 23, while Yamal collected 13 and Rodri received 10.
The revelation of Nigeria’s voting preference has added another interesting dimension to the publication of the individual ballots, particularly because the country’s representative selected a player who finished outside the overall top three.
Nevertheless, Rodri’s first-place selection reflects the Nigerian journalist’s assessment of the performances of the nominated players during the 2025/26 season, while the overall result saw Kane emerge as the winner of football’s most prestigious individual award.
