2026 Ballon d’Or: Updated Rankings After Barcelona Defeat Elche 5-0 and PSG Drop Points
- Barcelona crushed Elche 5-0 on matchday one of La Liga, with Lamine Yamal playing a key role in the rout
- PSG were held to a 2-2 draw at Rennes after debutant Ferran Torres came off the bench to rescue the French champions
- The latest Ballon d'Or rankings have shifted significantly, with Kylian Mbappe now leading the race for the 2026 award
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The 2026 Ballon d'Or race has shifted dramatically after the opening weekend of fixtures across Europe's top leagues, with results in Spain and France reshuffling the standings in a significant way.
Barcelona kicked off their La Liga title defence with a commanding 5-0 win at Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero on matchday one, extending their winning run against Elche to 13 matches in all competitions.
Source: Getty Images
It was also the 11th consecutive La Liga defeat for the hosts against Barcelona, their longest such losing streak in the competition.
According to ESPN, Raphinha and Fermín López both grabbed a brace each, while summer signing Karim Adeyemi also got on the scoresheet for Hansi Flick's side.
Ballon d'Or contender Lamine Yamal was instrumental throughout, continuing to cement his status as one of the world's most exciting talents.
The victory was the biggest margin of victory in La Liga so far this season, and it underlined Barcelona's ambition to win a third consecutive league title, having beaten arch-rivals Real Madrid in each of the last two campaigns.
Ferran Torres rescues PSG from defeat
Across the border in France, Paris Saint-Germain endured a difficult start to their Ligue 1 campaign, falling 2-0 behind to Rennes before new signing Ferran Torres turned the game on its head, BBC Sport reports.
PSG boss Luis Enrique brought Torres off the bench at half-time in place of reigning Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele, and the 26-year-old responded with goals in the 71st and 82nd minutes to earn a 2-2 draw.
Torres, who completed a reported £42.7 million move from Barcelona on August 15, had also scored the winning goal for Spain in the World Cup final against Argentina.
His debut performance immediately raised questions about PSG's form as the French champions dropped points in their very first fixture.
Updated Ballon d'Or rankings
The weekend's results triggered a notable reshuffle in the Ballon d'Or standings.
According to Score 90, Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe has moved to the top of the rankings and is now the frontrunner for the award.
Lamine Yamal of Barcelona sits second, followed by Harry Kane of Bayern Munich, Barcelona midfielder Rodri, and Manchester City's Erling Haaland to complete the top five.
Dembele dropped to sixth following PSG's failure to win, with Bayern Munich's Michael Olise, Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, and Lionel Messi of Inter Miami rounding out the top ten.
The 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony is scheduled for Monday, October 26, 2026.
In a historic departure, the event will be held in London rather than Paris for the first time in the award's history, marking the 70th anniversary of the prize and paying tribute to its inaugural 1956 recipient, Sir Stanley Matthews.
PSG star snubs Yamal for Ballon d'Or
Earlier, Legit.ng reported about PSG midfielder Vitinha's picks for the 2026 Ballon d'Or, emphasising his belief that three of his teammates stand out as deserving candidates.
While notable players like Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane are in the mix, Vitinha's exclusion of rising star Lamine Yamal prompts questions about the young forward's impact following Spain's World Cup triumph.
Source: Legit.ng
