Former Barcelona striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic isn't convinced that Ballon d'Or winner Harry Kane is the best footballer in the world right now.

Kane was crowned the greatest player on the planet at the prestigious award ceremony in London back in October. The Bayern Munich forward became the first Englishman to claim the accolade since Michael Owen in 2001, narrowly pipping Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe to the top of the podium by 28 points.

Rewarded for netting 61 goals in 51 games across all competitions for Bayern in the 2025/26 campaign, as well as for his exploits with England at the World Cup, Kane's illustrious career was finally recognised with a major individual award.

However, Ibrahimovic believes another player is actually the world's best at the moment.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic Names Who He Believes to Be the Best Player in the World

Before the winner was crowned at the London Palladium, it was well-documented that three players were clear frontrunners in the race for the Ballon d'Or. The eventual top two, Kane and Mbappe, were among those deemed to be in the running, while Lamine Yamal, who eventually came third, was the other tipped to have a chance of claiming the award.

Ibrahimovic, who was a Ballon d'Or nominee on eleven separate occasions, recently revealed his belief that Yamal is actually the best player in the world, not Kane.

Whilst playing an EA Sports FC 26 match against YouTuber KSI, the legendary centre-forward was asked who he thinks is currently the best on the planet.

Without hesitation, the Swede responded: "Yamal."

Many fans and pundits echoed Ibrahimovic's sentiment after the outcome of the Ballon d'Or vote was revealed. While few can deny Kane's excellence, many believed Yamal's prominence for Spain during the World Cup would be enough to see him win the award.

Alongside his performances in North America over the summer, the teenager enjoyed an outstanding season for Barcelona in 2025/26, scoring 24 goals and providing 17 assists in 45 appearances across all competitions.

Ultimately, Kane's numbers just about eclipsed Yamal's, which likely contributed to the former Tottenham Hotspur star's triumph last month.

Having come second and third in each of the last two Ballon d'Ors, Barcelona's talisman will be looking to go one better in 2027. So far this season, he's managed a staggering 25 goal contributions in 16 games for the Catalan giants, which means he's almost certainly on course to be up there once again.