The 2026 Ballon d’Or: Proof of Serie A’s Deep Crisis

Last year, the Ballon d’Or was won by Dembélé, the PSG star. Only one Italian was in the running: Donnarumma, who finished ninth. This year, there are no Italians among the 30 nominees for the most prestigious individual trophy in the world of soccer.

The only representative from Serie A is Lautaro Martinez (who finished 20th last year). This isn’t exactly a good sign for Italian soccer, which, once again, confirms that it is in the midst of a deep crisis, both at the club and national team levels.

And to think that Italy has often made its mark in the past, with five Azzurri players winning the trophy established way back in 1956 by the French magazine *France Football*. The last Italian to take it home was Cannavaro in the year 2006, the year of Italy’s World Cup triumph.

Milan and Juventus have each had as many as six Ballon d’Or winners on their rosters, some of whom—like Van Basten and Platini—have even won more than one. In short, there was a time when Italy—whether with its own players or with Serie A stars—fared well on the night of the Ballon d’Or ceremony. Today, that is no longer the case. The last “Italian” to step onto the podium was Cristiano Ronaldo in 2019, when he was playing for Juventus (third place).