Harry Kane prevailed over international competition at the 2026 Ballon d’Or, bringing the Golden Ball back to FC Bayern for the first time in 45 years. But apparently, not all voters were convinced by the Englishman’s performances from the start. A longtime voter has now even publicly admitted to having underrated Kane in his vote.

Croatian sports journalist Zdravko Reić, who has represented his country in the Ballon d’Or voting since 1992, ranked the Bayern striker only sixth on his personal list. Following the 33-year-old’s triumph, however, he is now taking a critical look back at his decision.

In an interview with the Croatian newspaper Vecernji list, Reić explained that he now regrets his vote. At the same time, the journalist revealed why he had ranked other players significantly ahead of Kane.

“It was wrong to rank Kane so low.”

“I have to admit now that it was a mistake. I have to admit that it was wrong to rank Kane so low,” Reić said, reflecting on his decision.

This admission is particularly noteworthy because the Croatian had based his choice on a clear principle: for him, performances at the 2026 World Cup were the decisive criterion. “My criteria are such that 2026 was the year of the World Cup. And on that basis, the players’ results and performances at that World Cup automatically determined how I voted,” explained the longtime sports journalist.

Consequently, performances in the Champions League and national competitions took a back seat for him.

Reić therefore awarded first place to Rodri, whom he described as a key player for the Spanish national team and the best player of the World Cup.

He placed Erling Haaland in second place, followed by Lionel Messi. Ferran Torres came in fourth on his list.

Kane, on the other hand, had to settle for sixth place—even though the Bayern star had impressed with outstanding performances throughout the entire evaluation period.

Lamine Yamal also came away empty-handed in Reić’s ranking.

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Even more surprising than Kane’s ranking is another decision by the Croatian juror. Lamine Yamal, who finished third in the official Ballon d’Or voting, didn’t even make it into Reić’s top ten.

The journalist attributed this to what he saw as the Barcelona star’s comparatively limited impact on the Spanish national team during the World Cup. “I know there will be a debate about this,” Reić acknowledged.

Nevertheless, he defended his fundamental stance on the significance of the World Cup. In his view, the decisive matches of a global tournament should be valued more highly than performances during a long club season.

He cited the 2010 Ballon d’Or vote as an example. At that time, he had voted for Andrés Iniesta over Lionel Messi because of his decisive goal in the World Cup final.

These statements show how differently the jurors prioritize their criteria when awarding the Golden Ball.

While Reić focused primarily on the World Cup, Kane won over the majority of voters with his overall package of individual performances and team successes.

In the end, it was enough for the Englishman to secure a historic triumph. And at least one juror would apparently have made a different decision in hindsight.

This article was translated into English by AI. You can read the original version here https://fcbinside.de/2026/10/28/das-war-ein-fehler-ballon-dor-juror-bereut-seine-kane-abstimmung/.