As October draws closer, tension is rising throughout the football world — the feeling is that the race for the Ballon d’Or has rarely, if ever, been more unpredictable. One of the biggest stars of the modern game, Kylian Mbappe, sparked a fierce public reaction yesterday by declaring that he considers himself a genuine candidate to win the most prestigious individual award. Although he failed to win anything with Real Madrid, and did not exactly set the World Cup alight with France either…“I always feel like I’m the best in the world. Of course, everyone has their own opinion. Some people will think that, others won’t — that’s the debate. Not everyone has to think the same way I do. When you play for Real Madrid, people always associate you with the Ballon d’Or. They talk to me about it a lot, which is a positive thing. At the end of the day, it’s the journalists who will choose.”Epitome of humility – Mbappe: "Who do I vote for to win Ballon d'Or? For myself!"Mbappe received plenty of criticism in both France and Spain for the statement, with his attitude described as arrogant. His 42 goals in 44 appearances for Los Blancos certainly put him in the conversation, but few believe he can make it into the innermost circle of favourites. Unlike him, Ousmane Dembele had no desire to put himself forward. When asked which three players he would nominate, he said:“Many people say the outcome is unpredictable this year. I don’t think so. I believe the award will remain in the hands of a Paris Saint-Germain player. Who are my candidates? No, I’m not going to rank them… Kvaratskhelia is there, Harry Kane had an outstanding season… And I’d say Kylian Mbappe” he said in an interview for France Football.🏆 Football’s most prestigious awards ceremony is BACK! The Ballon d’Or™ returns to DAZN on Monday, 26 October 2026 when the sport’s top players will gather in London for the first time to discover who will lift the game’s most coveted and prestigious individual prize. 🏆… pic.twitter.com/pzdc0r4VL0— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) September 8, 2026 The last year’s winner declined to talk about himself.“Me? Oh, no, I would never put myself into that conversation. Even if I had a vote, I wouldn’t vote for myself. There are so many other great players. Michael Olise, for example, could be on that list — he was brilliant in Germany last season. Then Lamine Yamal and Fabian Ruiz. Pacho…”Ballon d'Or contender? For sure!According to the world's bookmakers, Harry Kane (33) is the favourite to win this year's Ballon d'Or. The brilliant goalscorer did not win the Champions League, but he did claim the domestic double with Bayern, as well as a bronze medal at the World Cup, while also winning the Golden Boot at club level. He scored a staggering 73 goals in 65 appearances for Bayern and England combined, adding eight assists. Only one player in football history has produced a better tally in a single season — Lionel Messi in 2010/11, when he scored 82 goals in 69 matches. Interestingly, some media outlets have linked this year's move of the ceremony from Paris to the English capital with a supposedly predetermined outcome, given that London is Kane's city. The reality, however, is that the ceremony is being moved because this is the 70th anniversary of the award, which was first won by Sir Stanley Matthews in 1956. That is the real reason London was chosen to host this year's ceremony.UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUEROUND 1Tuesday19.45: (1.75) AEK (3.90) LASK (4.50) 22.00: (1.75) Dortmund (4.00) Villareal (4.20) 22.00: (2.30) Lille (3.40) Betis (3.10) 22.00: (1.60) Real Madrid (4.40) Inter (5.00) Wednesday19.45: (1.08) Barcelona (13.0) Feyenoord (20.0) 19.45: (1.23) Stuttgart (6.75) Viking (11.0) 22.00: (1.75) Liverpool (3.90) Atl.Madrid (4.50) 22.00: (4.90) Napoli (3.60) Arsenal (1.75) 22.00: (1.05) PSG (14.0) Slovan B. (35.0) 22.00: (1.90) Sporting (3.50) Galatasaray (4.10) Thursday19.45: (3.15) Fenerbahce (3.45) Roma (2.25)19.45: (1.43) PSV (4.60) Shakhtar (7.25)22.00: (1.10) Bayern (10.0) Bodo (16.0)22.00: (1.95) Como (3.50) RB Leipzig (3.90) 22.00: (1.10) Man.Utd. (11.0) Sabah (18.0) 22.00: (2.60) Slavia Praha (3.35) Lens (2.70)**** odds are subject to change