Amidst the Stars: Underdog Surprises at Ballon d'Or
The Mexican made an impression at the World Cup, but is likely unknown to many football fans.
It's the grand night of stars: At the Ballon d'Or ceremony, football's biggest stars gather.
Before the winners are announced late in the evening (from 9:30 PM), the organizers release the ranks eleven to 30 for the men. The result causes quite a surprise.
Impressive World Cup Performance
At 28th place, a name reappears that is likely rather unknown to many fans: Julian Quinones from Mexico. The 29-year-old drew attention to himself at the World Cup with strong performances and four goals, but has only played in Mexico and Saudi Arabia in his career so far.
Last season, he became top scorer in the Saudi Pro League (33 goals). In total, he scored 37 times in 35 competitive matches.
Ranks 11 to 30 for the Ballon d'Or 2026:
11. Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid/England)
12. Pau Cubarsi (FC Barcelona/Spain)
13. Achraf Hakimi (PSG/Morocco)
14. Vitinha (PSG/Portugal)
15. Declan Rice (Arsenal/England)
16. Ferran Torres (FC Barcelona, PSG/Spain)
17. Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid/Brazil)
18. Marc Cucurella (Chelsea, Real Madrid/Spain)
19. Joao Neves (PSG/Portugal)
20. Willian Pacho (PSG/Ecuador)
21. Gabriel (Arsenal/Brazil)
22. Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan/Argentina)
23. Nuno Mendes (PSG/Portugal)
24. Luis Diaz (FC Bayern/Colombia)
25. Marquinhos (PSG/Brazil)
26. Dayot Upamecano (FC Bayern/France)
27. Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United/Portugal)
28. Julian Quinones (Al Qadisiyah/Mexico)
29. William Saliba (Arsenal/France)
29. Sadio Mané (Al-Nassr/Senegal)
