The Shameful Exclusion of Mikel Oyarzabal

Mikel Oyarzabal is one of the big names left off the list of 30 nominees for the 2026 Ballon d’Or. This omission has caused quite a stir, especially given a season in which the Real Sociedad forward made his mark with both his club and the Spanish national team. With the San Sebastián-based team, he won the Copa del Rey, even scoring in the final, while with world champion Spain, he emerged as the La Furia Roja’s top scorer in the World Cup.

What makes the exclusion even more surprising is a comparison with some of the names selected by France Football. Among the 30 nominees are Sadio Mané of Al-Nassr and Julián Quiñones of Al-Qadsiah, both of whom play in the Saudi league. Lionel Messi is also on the list, a standout for Argentina and still in the spotlight with Inter Miami in MLS. The list also includes Marc Cucurella and Ferran Torres.

Oyarzabal, however, isn’t the only big name left off the list. The cut also affected players of the caliber of Pedri, Raphinha, and Désiré Doué. Neither Unai Simón nor David Raya made the cut—two other big names who failed to secure a spot on the final roster.

And it is especially when looking at the numbers that Oyarzabal’s absence takes on even greater significance. The Eibar forward finished last season with 18 goals for Real Sociedad and another 14 for Spain, five of which came in international competition. This performance also allowed him to match the historic records set by Emilio Butragueño and David Villa.

All of this, however, was not enough to convince the judges and end a drought that has lasted over twenty years for Real Sociedad. In fact, the last time a player from the Basque club was in the running for the Ballon d’Or was in 2003, when Nihat Kahveci and Darko Kovačević were named among the nominees after the team’s extraordinary second-place finish in La Liga.