2026 Ballon d’Or: Moroccan juror says he was pressured to vote against Hakimi

Mustapha Badri, managing director of Moroccan newspaper Al Mountakhab and a 2026 Ballon d’Or juror, says he was approached in the final hours before voting and urged not to rank Achraf Hakimi first. He placed the Paris Saint-Germain defender ahead of Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal, citing Hakimi’s performances and commitment to Morocco’s national team. Badri says he refused to change his ranking and has declined to name the player his interlocutors wanted him to favor. His account has raised further questions about the vote, following controversy over suspicious bets on Polymarket.