World Cup Rank: The 50 best players in the 2026 to...
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Ballon d'Or voters tend to favor players from the World Cup winning team in World Cup years.
- Cristiano Ronaldo, age 41, could win the Ballon d'Or if Portugal wins the World Cup despite limited recent club impact.
- Ranking methodology uses recent club performance over the past couple of seasons as the main criterion for the 50-player list.
- Tier 7 groups players who help their clubs win but may not impact the World Cup, dividing the list into seven tiers.
- Mohamed Salah is listed as the top player in Tier 7, followed by other players like Kai Havertz and Bernardo Silva.
Why it matters: Ballon d'Or voting may reward national-team triumphs over club form, boosting players from the World Cup champion—like a 41‑year‑old Ronaldo—while sidelining top club performers from non‑winning nations.
Ask SkimNews
