A few days before the 26 October 2026 ceremony, Algerian legend Rabah Madjer has revealed his personal Ballon d’Or Top 5, led by Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid).
Rabah Madjer, 67, made no secret of it. With the official 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony set for Monday 26 October 2026 approaching, the African football legend gave his personal ranking to AfricaFoot. A Top 5 in which Kylian Mbappé takes first place, ahead of Harry Kane, Ousmane Dembélé, Lamine Yamal and Vinicius Junior. This is an opinion vote, not the official result, but the word of the former Fennecs No 10 carries weight.
The former Algeria head coach, a 1990 AFCON winner, bases his choice on the statistics of the French Real Madrid forward. A stance that makes the former Porto player a much-listened-to observer just days before the verdict.
Mbappé, “the best player in the world”
For Rabah Madjer, first place is beyond debate. “He has been, for me, the best player in the world since 2022 and the World Cup in Qatar. His consistency is impressive. He is an extraordinary forward, as his statistics prove,” he told AfricaFoot.
The African Ballon d’Or winner — the Algerian legend was crowned African Ballon d’Or in 1987 — points to precise figures. According to his data, Kylian Mbappé finished the 2025/2026 season with 31 goals in the Spanish Liga, 15 in the Champions League and 10 at the World Cup. Totals that, in his view, speak unambiguously for the Frenchman.
“In the 2025/26 season, he finished top scorer in the Spanish Liga (31 goals), the Champions League (15 goals) and the World Cup (10 goals). It’s impressive. And on top of that, he makes others score,” he added, again according to AfricaFoot.
Kane, Dembélé, Yamal and Vinicius in his wake
Behind Mbappé, Madjer has set out a hierarchy mixing experience and youth. Harry Kane, the Bayern Munich forward, takes second place. Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain) follows in third. Spanish prodigy Lamine Yamal (FC Barcelona) is fourth, while Brazil’s Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid) completes the top five in fifth.
This quintet, revealed in a personal capacity, does not prejudge the final result. But it illustrates the vision of a man who has left his mark on African football history and who closely follows the performances of forwards playing in Europe.
A record that gives him weight
Rabah Madjer is no ordinary pundit. A 1987 Champions League winner with FC Porto, he was also crowned African Ballon d’Or the same year. With the Fennecs, he won AFCON 1990 and has 86 caps and 28 goals in the Algeria national team shirt.
The former No 10 puts that legitimacy at the service of a debate that grips the football world with every edition of the Ballon d’Or. His ranking, relayed by AfricaFoot, fuels the discussion before the 26 October 2026 ceremony. One thing is certain: Kylian Mbappé’s name will come up often between now and then.