Paris Saint-Germain head coach Luis Enrique has voiced out his dissatisfaction over the position of midfielder Vitinha at the 2026 Ballon d’Or rankings.
Bayern Munich forward Harry Kane was voted the 2026 Ballon d’Or winner after an impressive year with the Bundesliga giant and the England national team.
Kane defeated his closest rival Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal, both who came second and third respectively.
While PSG were voted the best men’s club, their star midfielder Vitinha finished 14th in the 2026 Ballon d’Or rankings, sliding down after claiming a podium third-place finish in 2025.
The 26-year-old playmaker was behind his team-mate Achraf Hakimi, who was ranked 13th.
Vitinha passes the ball during the Ligue 1 McDonald’s 2026/27 match between Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Lyonnais . (Photo by Franco Arland/Getty Images)
Vitinha remains central to PSG’s midfield after leading the club to back-to-back Champions League titles in 2025 and 2026.
Speaking ahead of PSG’s Ligue 1 clash against Le Havre, Enrique expressed dissatisfaction with where Vitinha was placed by voters. “We know him well, so we’re not surprised. It’s a real pleasure to have a player with such technical and physical ability,” Enrique stated.
”His level is incredible. We’re very pleased to have a player of his calibre, even though he wasn’t ranked as highly as he deserves to be in the Ballon d’Or rankings.”
”He is incredibly talented… he deserves a better ranking in the Ballon d’Or award,” Enrique added.
Since arriving from Porto in June 2022, the Portuguese international has collected four Ligue 1 titles and two Coupes de France.
He also earned inclusion in the FIFPRO World 11 in 2025 following a historic continental treble.
Vitinha will now be eager to overlook the rankings and continue to perform at the highest level. His full focus will be to help PSG widen their lead at the top of Ligue 1.
