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The Mexican Julián Quiñones is nominated for the 2026 Ballon d'Or alongside great international football stars, such as Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé. However, his inclusion on the list was questioned by Samuel Umtiti, a former French footballer and 2018 world champion.
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The former defender, who is now an RMC Sport commentator, said he thought it was a “joke” when he saw Quiñones' name among the nominees. He also questioned his performance during the 2026 World Cup with the Mexican National Team.
“You include Quiñones, but what did he do in the World Cup, four goals with Mexico, who were eliminated in the round of 16? When I saw it, I asked myself if it was a joke,” Umtiti declared.
Why is Julián Quiñones nominated for the 2026 Ballon d'Or?
In addition to his four goals with the Mexican National Team during the 2026 World Cup, Quiñones had an outstanding season with Al-Qadisiyah of Saudi Arabia.
The forward scored 33 goals last season and won the Saudi Pro League Golden Boot.
Samuel Umtiti criticizes the Ballon d'Or awards
Samuel Umtiti also expressed that he no longer followed the Ballon d'Or awards because, for him, they had lost all their meaning. Furthermore, he asserted that these types of accolades can be detrimental to a team sport.
“I don't even watch this ceremony. For forwards, winning the Ballon d'Or is incredible. This ceremony has lost all its meaning; it is very harmful to football, which is a sport very oriented toward the team.”
The former French defender also criticized the fact that individual awards receive more attention than collective achievements and pointed out that football should not be measured only by statistics.
“People think much more about winning the Ballon d'Or than about collective awards. You can win a Champions League with your team and still only think about yourself. We are going to talk about statistics again, and that is not enough. Football is not just about statistics.”
When will the 2026 Ballon d'Or gala take place?
The 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony will take place on October 26, 2026, at the London Palladium, in London.
[Publicidad]