The race for the 2026 Ballon d’Or is heating up early, with Goal’s Power Rankings placing Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane at the head of a formidable field that includes Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland.
The rankings highlight the exceptional form of the three elite forwards, who are already scoring at better than a goal-a-game rate in the 2025-26 season.
Kane’s sensational output has already seen him eclipse records set by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, becoming the quickest player in club history to reach 20 goals from the start of a season.
This devastating form is seen as justification for his top ranking, with German legend Lothar Matthaus having hailed Kane as the world’s best striker.
Matthaus argued that neither of his rivals can match Kane’s complete game, stating: “I’ve never seen Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe slide in their own penalty area like Kane did in the 88th minute against Dortmund. I also don’t see Haaland and Mbappe make passes of 50 meters or more.”
Meanwhile, Mbappé, now at Real Madrid, continues to impress creatively, and Haaland’s numbers remain “ludicrous” for Manchester City.
However, Goal.com suggests Mbappé holds a slight edge over Haaland due to Real Madrid’s higher probability of Champions League success, which could ultimately determine the winner of the Golden Ball.