{
  "id": 19194271,
  "title": "Kane becomes first Ballon d’Or winner left out of FIFPRO World XI",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/09/kane-becomes-first-ballon-dor-winner-left-out-of-fifpro-world-xi",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-09T18:56:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Punch Nigeria",
    "slug": "punch-nigeria",
    "url": "https://punchng.com/kane-becomes-first-ballon-dor-winner-left-out-of-fifpro-world-xi/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On Monday, the 2026 FIFPRO Men’s World XI was unveiled, revealing a notable omission from the selection. The team was chosen through a secure voting process involving 19,806 professional men's footballers globally. The FIFPRO World 11 is distinguished among major football awards as it is exclusively voted on by professional players based on their performances. This year’s men’s World XI boasted some of the sport's brightest stars, including eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi and World Cup winner Kylian Mbappé. However, Harry Kane, the 2026 Ballon d’Or winner, was notably absent from the Team of the Year, marking the first time such an occurrence since the FIFPRO 11's inception in 2005, according to a tweet from football transfer expert Fabrizio Romano. Kane secured the fifth position among attackers, accumulating 27.6% of the votes. Notably, France Football abandoned the 2020 Ballon d’Or due to the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in a disrupted football season. Despite the absence of a 2020 Ballon d’Or, Lionel Messi, the 2019 winner, was still included in the 2020 FIFPRO Men’s World 11. The percentages representing each player's votes range from 27.6% for Kane to 46% for Mbappé. The infographic detailing vote distribution shows Mbappé leading with 46%, followed by Lamine Yamal at 37.4%, Messi at 29.5%, and Erling Haaland at 28.4%. Kane's emergence as the first Englishman to claim the prestigious individual award since Michael Owen in 2001, following a remarkable 2025–26 season for Bayern Munich, underscores the gap between individual honors and recognition from fellow professional footballers.",
  "summary": "Harry Kane has become the first reigning Ballon d’Or winner to be excluded from the FIFPRO Men’s World XI since the award’s inception in 2005. Read More: https://punchng.com/kane-becomes-first-ballon-dor-winner-left-out-of-fifpro-world-xi/",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Daily Post Nigeria",
        "title": "'Real reason Cristiano Ronaldo retired' - Portuguese football! expert",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/09/real-reason-cristiano-ronaldo-retired-portuguese-football-expert",
        "published": "2026-11-09T15:03:52.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The National UAE",
        "title": "Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal named in FIFPro World XI but no Harry Kane or Cristiano Ronaldo",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/09/lionel-messi-and-lamine-yamal-named-in-fifpro-world-xi-but-no-harry",
        "published": "2026-11-09T16:24:10.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}