The 23-year-old Real Madrid midfielder was ranked 11th in the world at the prestigious awards, leaving him one place short of the top 10.

It comes despite an impressive summer for the Black Country-born star, who scored seven times for England during the 2026 World Cup.

His performances helped the Three Lions reach the latter stages of the competition and earned Bellingham the Bronze Boot as the tournament's third-highest goalscorer. 

His placing nevertheless represents a substantial improvement on 2025, when he finished 23rd in the Ballon d'Or standings.

The closest Bellingham came to Ballon d'Or victory yet was in 2024 where he finished 3rd after a incredible breakout first season at Real Madrid.

Bellingham did not attend the ceremony that took place in London, and instead watched on from Madrid.

Bellingham was placed immediately behind Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Fabián Ruiz, who completed the top 10, but finished ahead of a number of major names.

The overall prize went to Bellingham's England captain, Harry Kane, who finished ahead of Kylian Mbappé in second and Lamine Yamal in third.

Kane became the first English winner of the men's Ballon d'Or since Michael Owen claimed the award in 2001.

For Bellingham, who was born in Stourbridge and began his career at Birmingham City before becoming one of world football's biggest names, 11th represents a narrow miss following a year in which his international performances again put him in the global spotlight.