{
  "id": 17403005,
  "title": "Ballon d’Or: Six journalists rank Messi first",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/31/ballon-dor-six-journalists-rank-messi-first-17403005",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-31T12:54:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Punch",
    "slug": "punch",
    "url": "https://punchng.com/ballon-dor-six-journalists-rank-messi-first/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In the 2026 men's Ballon d'Or rankings, Lionel Messi received the first-place votes from six nations, including Brazil, Argentina, Belarus, China, Panama, and the UAE. Each journalist's top choice earns Messi 15 points, contributing to his final score of 612 points. Despite finishing fifth in the overall rankings behind Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé, Lamine Yamal, and Rodri, Messi claimed the top spot in six countries, a notable achievement given the historical football rivalry between Brazil and Argentina. The 39-year-old's performance was complemented by six first-place votes, surpassing the number received by Ousmane Dembélé, who finished seventh overall with 418 points. The 2026 Ballon d'Or award was the fourth-closest in the competition's history, with Kane edging Dembélé by just 28 points.",
  "summary": "Lionel Messi received first-place votes from six journalists, including from Brazil, despite finishing fifth in the 2026 Ballon d’Or rankings won by Harry Read More: https://punchng.com/ballon-dor-six-journalists-rank-messi-first/",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "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."
}