Sadio Mane set to be named among nominees for 2026 Ballon d'Or

The 2026 World Cup has provided a clearer picture of how the final Ballon d'Or rankings could look when the prestigious individual award is presented in London on October 26. Spain defeated Argentina in the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium on July 19, with 39-year-old Lionel Messi unable to make a significant impact despite enjoying an impressive tournament overall. Messi has since announced his international retirement. UK ONLY Paris Saint-Germain are also expected to have several players in contention after winning last season's Champions League at the expense of Arsenal, who were crowned Premier League champions for the first time since 2004. The 2026-27 campaign is now underway, giving the leading contenders one final opportunity to strengthen their cases for this year's Ballon d'Or. In previous years, the award was based on players' performances over a calendar year. However, for the fourth time in the award's history, voting will instead be based on performances and achievements during the season. According to GiveMeSport's Sam Cohen, Julián Quiñones and Sadio Mane are set to be included among the 30 nominees for the 2026 Men's Ballon d'Or. Mane is a four-time Ballon d'Or nominee. As part of a formidable Liverpool attack alongside Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, he won the Premier League and Champions League. He received his first nomination while at Anfield, finishing fourth in 2019 before being runner-up to Karim Benzema in 2022. Since leaving Liverpool, Mane has won league titles with Bayern Munich and Al-Nassr. In 2025-26, he recorded 16 goal involvements in the Saudi Pro League. Mane helped Senegal reach the round of 32 at the World Cup this summer. The 34-year-old has made five appearances for Al-Nassr this season, scoring twice and providing two assists. Support DaveOCKOP and enjoy the site completely ad-free. You'll get an uninterrupted browsing experience while helping us continue to deliver the latest Liverpool news, breaking stories and exclusives. Go ad-free today.