Nasri criticises Harry Kane's Ballon d'Or win

Former French star Samir Nasri criticized the selection of Englishman Harry Kane for the 2026 Ballon d'Or, stating that the award should have gone to Spanish player Lamine Yamal, the star of Barcelona. He made these comments during a discussion on a French podcast titled "Les Affranchis."

Nassri stated that Yamal is the main driving force for Barcelona, explaining: "Yamal is the locomotive of Barcelona, it is his club and his team." He compared the young player's situation to that of Kylian Mbappé during his time at Paris Saint-Germain, considering that the French team relied more on Brazilian Neymar, despite the titles they achieved.

The former Manchester City player did not hide his admiration for compatriot Michael Olise, the Bayern Munich winger, whom he considered the best player in the Bundesliga. Nasri said: "I completely disagree with Harry Kane winning the Ballon d'Or," adding that Olise has played 57 matches out of 60, describing him as resembling a Ferrari, and emphasizing that football should have rewarded him before the English striker.

Nasri questioned the criteria used to select the winner of the award, criticizing the focus on the number of goals and titles a player achieves in the Bundesliga. He stated that Kane won a title in a competition dominated by his team, before citing Ferran Torres as an example, asking whether scoring 50 goals with Paris Saint-Germain and winning Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France would be enough to award him the Ballon d'Or.