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 100 countries, each submitting a top-ten ranking with points awarded on a descending scale: 15 for first place, 12 for second, 10 for third, then 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1.

Canadian journalist Neil Davidson's ballot proved remarkably accurate, with every player he ranked finishing in the official top ten. Davidson selected Harry Kane as his number one, matching the eventual winner. His only notable divergences from the consensus were placing Lamine Yamal above Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland above Ousmane Dembélé.

The most striking ballot came from Greece's Manos Staramopoulos, who ranked Kane seventh and excluded both Yamal and Mbappé from his top ten entirely. His top three consisted of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Rodri, and Willian Pacho. Only two of the 100 voters omitted Kane from their rankings: journalists from Ivory Coast and Mexico, who favoured players like Kvaratskhelia, Haaland, and Fábian Ruiz instead.