Messi drew six first-place Ballon d'Or votes from a jury of 100; Sunday decides his playoff path
France Football's full Ballon d'Or ballot put Messi fifth on 612 points with six first-place votes, and MLS's final MVP ranking calls for a unanimous three-peat, with Decision Day on Sunday settling his playoff seed.
France Football released the complete 2026 Ballon d'Or standings on Wednesday, and the 100 jurors left Lionel Messi fifth on 612 points.1
Harry Kane won with 1,055 points, twenty-eight more than Kylian Mbappé.1
The same day, MLS published its final MVP ranking of the season. Its author, Sacha Kljestan, wrote that the ballot should be unanimous.2
The season's last word comes on Sunday morning in Shanghai, when Inter Miami host Charlotte FC.3
How the vote fell
The jury is one journalist from each of the 100 highest-ranked FIFA nations.1
Messi finished 114 points behind Rodri and 71 clear of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, sixth on 541. Dembélé, Haaland, Olise and Fabián Ruiz completed the top ten.1
Six of those 100 jurors placed Messi first:1
- Argentina, Ezequiel Fernández Moores of La Nación1
- Belarus, Serguei Nikolaiev of Pressball1
- Brazil, Cléber Machado of Record TV1
- China, Luo Ming of Titan Sports1
- Panama, Humberto Cornejo of La Prensa1
- United Arab Emirates, Osama Mohamad Alamri of Abu Dhabi Sports TV1
Marca singled out Brazil's ballot, cast by a journalist from Argentina's traditional sporting rival.4
The award's own summary of his season: 49 matches, 45 goals and 30 assists, an MLS Cup with Inter Miami, and eight goals and four assists at the World Cup.1
The league's own ranking
Kljestan's column ran on Wednesday, the last edition before Decision Day. "This year, it should be unanimous," he wrote. "It's Lionel Messi."2
Messi leads MLS with 42 goal contributions, from 26 goals and 16 assists on the league's count.2 Kljestan's next four:
- Hany Mukhtar, Nashville SC: 17 goals and 8 assists for the Supporters' Shield winners.2
- Petar Musa, FC Dallas: 22 goals, second to Messi in the Golden Boot race.2
- Carles Gil, New England Revolution: 13 goals and 13 assists.2
- Evander, FC Cincinnati: 14 goals and 17 assists.2
That list is one columnist's ranking; the award itself comes from a separate ballot.2
Kljestan called it "the easiest MVP vote ever" and asked for a first three-time winner.2 Only Preki has taken the award twice, in 1997 and 2003.5
A second straight Golden Boot would be another first: five players have led MLS in scoring twice, and none did it in consecutive seasons.5
Messi has 26 goals in 30 appearances, four more than Musa. The first tiebreak is assists, where he leads 16 to 5, and the second is fewest minutes.6 Musa needs five goals at home to Colorado to pass him. Four would level the pair on 26 and send the award to Messi on assists.6
What Decision Day decides
All eight Eastern Conference games kick off at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, which is 05:00 on Sunday in Shanghai.5
Inter Miami has 59 points from 33 games and sits second, one ahead of New England and six ahead of Charlotte.3
A win seals second place. A draw holds it unless New England win at Orlando City. A defeat leaves Miami needing New England to lose, because New England hold the tiebreak with 18 wins to Miami's 16.3
Second place meets the seventh seed in Round One; third meets the sixth.7 Four clubs sit across those two seed lines:
All four have qualified. The eighth and ninth seeds play a wild card game before Round One.7
Charlotte arrive fifth on 53 points with a prize in reach: a win, plus a Chicago defeat, would take them to fourth and a home game in Round One.5
Nashville can break the league's points record with a draw at FC Cincinnati. They sit on 74, level with Inter Miami's 2024 total.5
Three previous final days
In 2023, his first Decision Day ended in a 1-0 defeat at Charlotte. Kerwin Vargas scored after 13 minutes, and Messi had a finish ruled offside and a free kick pushed onto the bar. Miami were already out.8
In 2024, Miami beat New England 6-2 after trailing 2-0. Messi came on at 58 minutes and scored at 78, 81 and 89. He was the first MLS player to score three and assist one after leaving the bench.8 Miami finished on a record 74 points and lifted the Supporters' Shield.8
Last year at Nashville he scored at 35, converted a penalty at 63 and completed a hat-trick at 81 in a 5-2 win. He closed the season with 29 goals and 19 assists and took the Golden Boot.8
What to watch
- Sunday 05:00 — Charlotte FC at Inter Miami, Nu Stadium. Second place and the Round One opponent are settled here.3
- Sunday 05:00 — New England at Orlando City. A win or a draw takes second place if Miami lose.5
- Sunday 05:00 — Nashville at FC Cincinnati. A draw sets a new points record.5
- Sunday 08:00 — Colorado at FC Dallas. Musa needs five goals for the Golden Boot.6
Argentina, without him
Argentina play their first match since his farewell on Friday 13 November, against Uruguay at La Bombonera. Costa Rica follow on Tuesday 17 November at the Mario Alberto Kempes stadium in Córdoba.9
Tickets for the Uruguay match went on sale on Wednesday through Deportick, from 95,000 pesos for general admission to 290,000 for the preferential stand.10
References
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- 9Amistosos de noviembre
afa.com.ar
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