An anonymous individual, known as "Z" and previously credited with predicting the winners of the last three Ballon d'Or awards, announced on social media the identity of the 2026 winner. According to the report, the individual, who uses the pseudonym @MadeInArsenal6, claimed that Lamine Yamal will win the Ballon d'Or 2026, stating he will be the youngest player ever to win the trophy. The Ballon d'Or is an annual award given to the best male footballer in the world, decided by a panel of journalists and other football professionals. The report notes that there are many candidates for the Ballon d'Or this year, including Rodri, Lamine Yamal, Fabian Ruiz, Kylian Mbappé, Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembélé, Harry Kane, Lionel Messi, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. However, none of these players fully meet all the criteria for the award. The ceremony is scheduled to take place on October 26 in London. The anonymous individual made the claim three weeks before the event. This is not the first time "Z" has made such predictions. The user previously announced the winners of the Ballon d'Or in 2023, 2024, and 2025, with the winners being Lionel Messi, Rodri, and Ousmane Dembélé, respectively. In 2023, "Z" claimed that Messi would win the Ballon d'Or, with Mbappé ranked third. In 2024, the user predicted Rodri as the winner. In 2025, "Z" announced Ousmane Dembélé as the winner. The user has stated that their sources are "always impeccable," despite some previous inaccurate predictions. Lamine Yamal, who recently won the La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup with FC Barcelona, and who played a key role in Spain's victory in the 2026 World Cup, is considered a potential candidate for the Ballon d'Or. However, he did not particularly shine during the North American World Cup this summer.