France Football has sparked controversy ahead of the Ballon d’Or ceremony after accidentally publishing three separate profiles declaring Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, and Lamine Yamal the winner of the prestigious award.
According to a report from The Athletic, the profiles appeared on the official Ballon d’Or website on Monday evening before being removed. Each article presented its respective player as the winner, raising questions about a possible technical error in the build-up to the ceremony.
Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal named as winners
The three players are among the biggest names in world football, making the appearance of the articles particularly striking. Kane has enjoyed another productive spell in front of goal, while Mbappe remains one of the game’s most influential attackers.
Yamal, meanwhile, has emerged as one of football’s brightest young talents, attracting widespread attention for his performances at Barcelona and for Spain.
However, publishing all three profiles does not mean any of them actually won the award. The articles were subsequently taken down, leaving supporters to speculate about what went wrong behind the scenes.
The incident could spark considerable discussion on social media, especially given the Ballon d’Or’s importance and the intense debate over who will be its next recipient.
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Ballon d’Or organisers face unwanted scrutiny
The timing of the mistake is particularly unfortunate for France Football, as the award ceremony is expected to draw worldwide attention.
The Ballon d’Or remains one of football’s most prestigious individual honours, and organisers traditionally keep the winner’s announcement under wraps until the official presentation.
Publishing multiple profiles identifying different winners risks confusing supporters and raising questions about the organisation’s editorial processes.
It remains unclear whether the articles were drafts, published due to a technical error, or linked to another website issue.
For now, the deleted profiles offer no reliable confirmation of the final result. The organisers hope the incident won’t overshadow the ceremony, although the unexpected publications have already created an unwanted talking point ahead of the event.
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