The Ballon d'Or discussion is at the top of football's agenda at present, after the list of nominees for the award was released earlier this week.

A familiar dark horse was introduced into the race for the award this year, as Lionel Messi received a nomination on the back of his displays for club and country.

The 39-year-old is an eight-time winner of the award, and he rolled back the years with his performance at the FIFA World Cup this summer.

England legend and former striker Alan Shearer is a firm believer that any of the trio of Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, and Rodri, however, would be more deserving winners than Messi.

He made this known in an interview, backing one of them to dethrone Ousmane Dembele and claim the prestigious honour.

Alan Shearer Names Ballon d'Or Favourites

Alan Shearer spoke with Betfair about his Ballon d'Or favourites for this year, and he strongly backed compatriot Harry Kane to win the award.

He argued that the England captain's goalscoring numbers and success with Bayern Munich should weigh heavily in his favour, making him his obvious choice to win.

"For the 2026 Ballon d'Or Harry Kane would get my vote. For the number of goals that he that he scored last year, winning the Bundesliga and a cup as well.

Obviously, he didn't have the success with England at the World Cup that he would have wanted. But when I look at all the other nominations, I think for what he did and the goals he scored, he was phenomenal. So Harry would get my vote for the Ballon d'Or this year without a doubt."

He added that Real Madrid and France star Kylian Mbappe is another close contender, as is Spain captain Rodri, despite the injury problems the latter faced in the 2025-26 season.

"Looking at who could finish behind him, Mbappé would be one and you've also got to look at Rodri who was unbelievable in the World Cup.

I know he didn't play a lot of football in the season because of injuries but Rodri I think may be another contender because of his performances for Spain. He was player of the tournament and lifted the trophy as captain. Those would be my three with Kane as number one," he said.

Making a Case for Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, and Rodri

England captain and star striker Kane is genuinely among the leading candidate to receive the Ballon d'Or this year on the back of the season he had for club and country.

He won the European Golden Shoe for the 2025-26 season after netting 36 goals in just 31 Bundesliga games, and scored ten goals in six DFB Pokal games.

In the UEFA Champions League, he scored 14 goals in 13 games before proceeding to score six goals in seven games at the FIFA World Cup.

Mbappe is another who could win the award after a historic campaign for club and country. He won the Pichichi in Spain and the Golden Boot for the UEFA Champions League.

The Frenchman also scored ten goals at the World Cup to become the leading scorer in the history of the competition at only 27 years old, winning a second successive Golden Boot in the tournament.

Rodri struggled for fitness at club level and did not contribute a great deal as Manchester City won the domestic cup double.

He left his best for the World Cup, however, as he captained Spain to win the tournament in emphatic fashion and was named as the Player of the Tournament, receiving the Golden Ball.

Does Lionel Messi Stand a Chance of Winning?

Lionel Messi's 17th Ballon d'Or nomination was a bit of a surprise, given that he plays in the MLS, a weak league compared to Europe's top leagues.

His numbers in the MLS were staggering, as he became the first player to be named as MVP in back-to-back seasons, leading Inter Miami to a maiden MLS Cup title.

He scored 35 goals and provided 23 assists in 34 MLS games to also win the Golden Boot at the end of the 2025 season.

The veteran forward backed it up with eight goals and four assists in eight games as Argentina finished as runners-up in the FIFA World Cup this summer, and he narrowly missed out on the Golden Ball.

Messi would be a very unlikely choice to receive the award this year, given the accomplishments of his rivals.

His nomination this year, 20 years after his maiden nomination, is further proof of his longevity and standing as one of the GOATs.