Canadian journalist impresses with Ballon d'Or ballot

Canadian journalist Neil Davidson's Ballon d'Or ballot perfectly predicted the final top ten, with Harry Kane as his number one.

The Ballon d'Or voting process involved journalists from one hundred countries, each submitting a top-ten ranking. Points were awarded on a descending scale: 15 for first place, 12 for second, 10 for third, then 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 for positions four through ten.

Canadian journalist Neil Davidson achieved a perfect prediction, with every player on his top-ten ballot finishing in the official top ten. Davidson ranked Harry Kane first, placed Lamine Yamal above Kylian Mbappé, and ranked Erling Haaland ahead of Ousmane Dembélé.

In contrast, Greek journalist Manos Staramopoulos submitted one of the most divergent ballots, ranking Kane seventh and awarding no points to Yamal or Mbappé. His top three consisted of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Rodri, and Willian Pacho. Only two of the hundred journalists omitted Kane from their top ten entirely—voters from Ivory Coast and Mexico instead supported players like Kvaratskhelia, Haaland, and Fábian Ruiz.