{
  "id": 15415699,
  "title": "Ballon d'Or 2026: He's phenomenal - Ex-France defender, Lizarazu names player to win award",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/18/ballon-dor-2026-hes-phenomenal-ex-france-defender-lizarazu-names",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-18T12:32:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Daily Post Nigeria",
    "slug": "daily-post-nigeria",
    "url": "https://dailypost.ng/2026/10/18/ballon-dor-2026-hes-phenomenal-ex-france-defender-lizarazu-names-player-to-win-award/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former France defender Bixente Lizarazu has predicted that Barcelona's Lamine Yamal will be the recipient of the 2026 Ballon d'Or award. The former defender highlighted Yamal's exceptional talent and the significant improvement in his game as key reasons for his nomination. Other notable contenders such as Harry Kane from Bayern Munich and Kylian Mbappe from Real Madrid were also mentioned, but Lizarazu firmly stated that Yamal stands out as the clear choice. The official announcement of the 2026 Ballon d'Or winner is expected to be made within the next month. Lizarazu emphasized his commitment to the selection criteria, emphasizing Yamal's outstanding performance on the pitch and his overall impact on the sport. Despite Yamal's less successful World Cup performance, he remains a champion and a Spanish league winner, further solidifying his status as a phenomenal footballer.",
  "summary": "Former France defender, Bixente Lizarazu, has named the player to win the 2026 Ballon d'Or. Lizarazu picked Barcelona's Lamine Yamal to win the Ballon d'Or ahead of other contenders like Bayern Munich's Harry Kane and Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe. He described the Spanish international as a phenomenal footballer who has raised the level of his […] Ballon d'Or 2026: He's phenomenal - Ex-France…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Daily Post Nigeria",
        "title": "Ballon d’Or 2026: Former France striker, Papin snubs Mbappe, names player to win award",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/ballon-dor-2026-former-france-striker-papin-snubs-mbappe-names-player",
        "published": "2026-10-16T08:26:37.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}