Harry Kane claimed the top award at the Ballon d'Or ceremony, but one voter did not even name him among the world's top five players

One Ballon d'Or voter who left Harry Kane and Lamine Yamal out of his top five selections has admitted he made a mistake. Croatian journalist Zdravko Reic, a member of France Football's voting panel, instead named Rodri, Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi in his top three.

England and Bayern Munich star Kane was presented with the night's top honour in London, with Yamal claiming the Kopa Trophy, awarded to the best young player, and third place in the overall standings. A jury of 100 journalists, with one representative from each of the top 100 countries in the FIFA men's world rankings, vote on a 30-player shortlist prepared by France Football's editorial staff, a representative from the previous year's jury and UEFA representatives.

Reic, who writes for Sportske Novosti, has conceded that he overlooked Kane's qualities in ranking him in sixth position. The journalist also named three Spain stars ahead of Yamal in his top 10: Rodri, Ferran Torres and Pau Cubarsi.

"Right from the start, I will admit, mea culpa, that as a member of the France Football jury for the 2026 Ballon d'Or, I made a mistake in evaluating Harry Kane's performance, because I ranked him only sixth among the 10 footballers of my choice," Reic said in a social media post by his publication.

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"It will certainly be immediately noticeable to football fans that among my 10 picks I did not find a place for the favoured, possibly today according to the impressions of the best player in the world, Lamine Yamal, who had a truly peripheral role in the triumph of the Spanish national team at the World Cup.

"Also, many will probably be bothered by the second place of Erling Haaland, whom I treated as an important player of the Norwegian national team which, in my opinion, was a first-class surprise at the tournament."

Reic's top 10

1) Rodri

2) Erling Haaland

3) Lionel Messi

4) Ferran Torres

5) Kylian Mbappe

7) Pau Cubarsi

8) Vitinha

9) Ousmane Dembele

Kane's success marked the first time an English player had won the award in 25 years, when Michael Owen took home the trophy. The Three Lions captain was ecstatic to win.

“Wow, wow, wow. I'm almost speechless," he said. "Lucky I have this (his speech) here. First of all, thank you again to France Football, to the Ballon d'Or for putting on this amazing event. Being here in London as well has made it extra special and looked like a good omen for me tonight, so thank you very much.

"Thank you to everyone who voted for me. I can imagine it was really tough this year. Some of the incredible players I was up against, some of my team-mates and world-class players in the room tonight, so thank you to everyone who voted for me. Congratulations to all the winners, all the nominees tonight - an impressive showing of what determination and hard work can really achieve, so well done."

The Bayern star went on to thank England and Tottenham for their role in helping him reach this point. “To all my England team-mates, we had a special year," Kane said in his acceptance speech.

"It wasn't the perfect year, but we had a lot of good moments. We built a great bond together, a lot of togetherness. The way we trained, the way we played, the togetherness in the hotel in the World Cup. It’s truly an honour to captain you, lead you. It makes me extremely proud so this one is for all of us, for sure.

“To Thomas Tuchel and the staff at England again. The leadership, the way you drive us, the way you push standards is something to be admired and it's an honour to represent you and represent the England badge the way you do. I know Debbie [Hewitt, FA Chair] is here tonight as well, so Debbie, thank you very much for everything you do and everyone at the FA, it's truly an honour to be your captain.

“I want to say thank you to Tottenham Hotspur as well. I wouldn’t be where I am today without Tottenham, for sure. I was there from 11 years old. All the guidance, all the coaches, you allowed me to live my dream. So for sure, without all those moments together, all the ups and downs along the way of that journey, has led me to this moment here today, so just want to say thank you to Tottenham Hotspur."