Spain's Ballon d'Or voter chose Mbappé

Spain's Ballon d'Or voter José Félix Díaz ranked Mbappé first, ahead of Lamine Yamal and Kane, though Kane won the award at Monday's London ceremony.

José Félix Díaz, editorial director of Spanish newspaper As and Spain's representative on the Ballon d'Or jury, cast his votes with Kylian Mbappé in first place, followed by Lamine Yamal in second and Harry Kane in third. Kane, the Bayern Munich striker, ultimately won the prestigious individual award at a ceremony held in London on Monday.

Díaz has represented Spain on the voting panel this year, succeeding Alfredo Relaño, who took over the role in 2014. The position has been held by Spanish journalists since 1990, when Francesc Aguilar of Mundo Deportivo began voting. Aguilar continued for 24 consecutive editions until 2013, when he stepped down as the World Cup playoff voting period extended.

Díaz's ranking of Mbappé ahead of Yamal is notable given that the Real Madrid forward won no major trophies last season with either his club or France, who fell to Spain in the World Cup semi-finals. Yamal, by contrast, won the World Cup with Spain and claimed La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup with Barcelona.