Ballon d'Or website error reveals three different winners before ceremony

Organizers of the Ballon d'Or prematurely published three articles on the official website on October 26, each declaring a different winner: Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal, and Kylian Mbappe. The embarrassing error caused confusion ahead of the ceremony. The articles, which appeared on ballondor.com, included headlines touting Kane's 61-goal season, Yamal's record-breaking achievement, and Mbappe's consistent excellence. The pieces were later removed, but the mishap was widely reported by international media, including The New York Times. The organizers reportedly prepared three pre-written articles to publish based on the actual vote result. Only the Yamal article remained on the site, while the others disappeared, sparking speculation about a system error or marketing stunt.